Medical Terminology

Lesson 2

-algia

• Pain

• Painful condition

• A sensation of hurting

• Strong discomfort in some part of the body may be caused by injury, disease, or malfunction of a structure transmitted through the nervous system

-algia

• Cerebralgia and cephalalgia both mean headache but cephalgia is used most often.

-algia

• -ia (condition), alg- (pain)

• -algia may be seperated into two parts:

• -algia is used most often meaning pain

• -alg (pain) can be used in other forms such as algesi-, algo-, algeo-, and angio-

• They are used in other forms to avoid confusion with algae (plant group)

Cervic-

• Neck or neck-like structure

• The cervix is the name for the neck or necklike part of the body; used to name parts of large bones of the body where the bone becomes narrow (constricted) behind the knoblike end (head)

Cervix

• The cervix is the name for the neck or necklike part of the body; The narrow part of a tooth at the gumline

• The cervix is the name for the neck or necklike part of the body; parts of pearshaped organs such as the uterus, gall bladder, and urinary bladder

Chole-

• Bile; gall; yellow-brown or greenish fluid secreted by the liver and stored in the gallbladder (cholecyt)

• The purpose of bile is to help digest foods, particularly fat. It is stored in the gallbladder and secreted into the intestines through the common bile duct (cholangi)

Chole-

• Another name for the bile duct is the common bile duct because it is common to (joins) the liver and the gallbladder (choledoch)

• Cholangitis- inflammation of bile duct (bile vessel) angi here meaning tube, duct, or canal vs blood vessel

Chondr-

• Cartilage; gristle; a firm elastic tissue serving principally to connect body parts

• Cartilage is found in joints, in connections between bones, and connected bones with each other

Crani-

• Both crani- and cranium are used to mean 3 different structures- all referring to bones of the head

1. All the bones of the head2. All bones of the head except lower jaw

(mandible)3. Brain case of enclosure; all cranial bones

around the brain, does not include facial bones

Cyan-

• Blue; generally a deep or dark blue

• Have to do with an appearance of blueness usually due to reduction of red coloring matter of the blood (red blood cells (erythrocytes) and component of red blood cells (hemoglobin)

• Can also refer to chemical as with cyanide

cyst

• Sac containing fluid

• Bladder

• A pouch or baglike structure or organ

• Used as a receptacle for secretions

cyst

• Sac is a smaller unit that sack

• Cyst can be an abnormal sac containing fluid or a normal saclike structure such as the urinary bladder or gallbladder

end-

• Inside; within; inner (sometimes seen in the for ent-)

• Indicates “pointing to” something inside a body part

• It may name the inner lining (usually membrane) using the form end/o/___/ium

end-

• It may also refer to the inside of a structure or organ in the for end/o/_____/al

hem(at)-

• Blood; the fluid that circulates in the heart (cardi-) and blood vessels (hemangi-) carrying nourishment and oxygen to the body cells.

hem(at)-

1. If a root ends with the letter “m” it have the form “mat”

2. If a root begins with the letter “h” and begins the medical term the “h” will be retained. If the root is proceeded by another root the “h” will be dropped

Retained: hemangioma

Dropped: hyperemia

hemi-

• Half; half of; relating to or affecting a half or one side; sometimes “a part of”

hyper-

• Above, more than normal; excessive; opposite of hypo- (underneath or deficient)

• Although it may be used to indicate “located above” it usually means “excessive” or “more than usual

hypo-

• Under; beneath; deficient; less than normal; underneath or below in space; opposite of hyper-

• Hypotension- diminished tension; low blood pressure

• Hypodermic- underneath the skin

hyster-

• Uterus; womb; hollow muscle organ in the female in which the egg is deposited after fertilization and develops until birth

lip-

• Fat; fatty; fatty tissue

• Many tumors may consists of fatty substances and additional substances

• Fibrolipoma- tumor containing threadlike fibers and fat

lith-

• Stone; a mass of extremely hard material; a calculus (an abnormal hardening of body substances or chemicals, particularly mineral salts)

• Chole/lith- gallstones

• Nephr/o/lith- kidney stones

gallstones

http://www.herringlab.com/photos/

-lysis

• Loosening; set free; destruction; release; breaking down; decomposition; freeing; dissolving

• Lysis is a word meaning destruction; decomposition of chemical compound; loosening, as of an organ from adhesions (an abnormal “sticking together” of adjoining parts of the body)

my-

• Muscle; body organs consisting of bundles of cells or fibers that can be contracted and expanded to produce bodily movements

-oid

• Like; resembling; having the form or shape of– lipoid – like or resembling fat

• Also used to describe tumors as alternatives to –oma suffixed words– Adenoid- a tumor consisting of glandular or

glandlike material

ophthalm-opt-

• Ophthalm- the eye or eyes

• Opt- seeing; vision; light

• Optic- usually used to refer to the eye

• Optical- usually used to refer to sight

Ophthal-opt-

• Ophthalmologist- a physician, a doctor of medicine, specializing in the treatment of diseases of the eye

• Optometrist- a doctor of optometry clinically trained and licensed to treat visual defects with corrective lenses and other methods not requiring license as a physician

ost-

• Bone; bone tissue• May appear in the forms of ost, oste, oss, ossi,

osse• Ost- and oste- are root words in dealing with

disease conditions and therapy to correct disease conditions

• Oss-, ossi-, osse- used in the naming of anatomical parts involving bone and normal biological processes involving bone

proct-

• “anus”, the past part of the digestive tube, measuring about 18 centimeters (7 inches) through which solid waste products are expelled from the body

• Anus- opening that feces are expelled• Anal- about 4 centimeters (1 ½ inches)

through which feces pass for expulsion• Rectum- about 13 cm (5”) that serves as a

storage pouch for feces until it is expelled.

proct-

• Technically the element proct- is restricted to words dealing with the rectum. However, medical usage broadens the application of the element to include anus, anal canal, and rectum

psycho-

• Mind; mental processes; the processes of thought, judgement, and emotion

• Psych- is used to express the behavior resulting from physical processes taking place in the brain (cerebr)

psych-

• Ologist- one who studies- “knower” or “healer”

• -iatrist- always refers to a physician, “healer”

• Clinical psychologist provides treatment for mental disorders but it limited by license or laws governing medical practice

psych-

• Psyciatrist- “healer of the mind”- a physician and is limited only by laws governing physicians

• Psychoanalysis- state or condition of loosening the backwards

-scop

• observe; look; reveal

• Scope- the –e carries the meaning of “instrument for”- means “instrument for observing”

-ar

• Pertaining to; having a connection

• This “pertaining to” suffix is most frequently applied to words ending in –l and –le and is in the form –ular.

• Triangle- triang/ular

• Muscle- musc/ular

-ary

• Pertaining to/ having a connection with

• Honor/ary

• Budget/ary

• Unit/ary

-cle

• Small; little

• This terminal forms a “diminutive” that is the dictionary term for a word denoting a small version of the thing indicated by the main part of the word

• A part/i/cle is a “small part”

• An oss/i/cle is “a small bone”

-e

• Means of; instrument for

• This terminal usually applied to actions roots (verbs) to denote a means by which an action is performed, an instrument for performing the action

• Scop/e- a means of looking or observing, an instrument for looking or observing

-an, -ian

• Of or belonging to; frequently a person belonging to or associated with

• Europe/an

• Ohio/an

• Flori/ian

-ide

• A terminal used in the naming of chemical compounds

• Cyan/ide

• Brom/ide

• Chlor/ide

-ist

• One who practices; one who does; one who does; one who is concerned with

• Chem/ist

• Humor/ist

• Novel/ist

-ium

• Noun ending/ frequently means place or region, lining or covering tissue

• Auditor/ium- place for hearing

• Pod/ium- place for standing

ule

• Small, little; a diminutive

• Glob/ule- tiny ball or globe

• Caps/ule- small container

• Ven/ule- small vein

-ular

• Pertaining to a small or little; pertaining to small version of the thing indicated in the main part of the word

• Vavular- pertaining to a small valve