Medical Terminology

Standardize language between healthcare practitioners

Improve communication by concise communication

Removal of the appendix

APPENDECTOMY

Forming an opening into the eardrum

MYRINGOSTOMY

The presence of microorganisms or their toxins in the blood causing systemic disease

SEPSIS

NEW MEDICAL TERMS ARE BEING ADDED ALL THE TIME:

New diseases, disorders, conditions

New treatment techniques, tools, and drugs

Discovery of previously unknown microorganisms

MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY IS AN EVER EXPANDING LANGUAGE

Able to describe discoveries in medical science and advances in technology by using combinations of Latin and Greek word

roots.

New diagnostic terms within the last 30 years: AIDs HIV Legionnaire’s Disease Toxic Shock Syndrome Attention-Deficit Disorder Ebola Virus Marburg Virus West Nile Fever Dengue Fever SARS (2003)

WORD ROOTS ARE THE FOUNDATION OF MEDICAL TERMS

MEDICAL LANGUAGE IS ROOTED IN LATIN AND GREEK

with some additional influence from Old French and Old German

EXAMPLES OF COMMON WORDS WITH LATIN OR GREEK ROOTS:

TRANSPORT (Latin) “To carry from one place to another”

TRANS (over, across) + PORTARE (to carry)

DEMOCRACY (Greek) “Rule by the people”

DEMOS (the people) + KRATEIN (to rule)

SYMPHONY (Greek) “A harmony of sounds”

SYN (together) + PHONE (a sound)

Latin Word Roots

Name and describe structures of the body

(anatomy)

Greek Word Roots

Name and describe diseases, conditions, diagnosis and treatment (surgery)

Latin Greek English

ren(o) nephr(o) kidney

cutane(o) derm(o) skin

stomat(o) or(o) mouth

ven(o) phleb(o) vein

lingu(o) gloss(o) tongue

WORD ROOT Main component of the term Several word roots may be strung together to form

compound medical terms

PREFIX Component found at the beginning of a term Prefixes modify the meaning of the word root

SUFFIX Endings that modify the root Identify the part of speech of the term

Use of combining form:

Aid in pronunciation

Join one word root to another to

form compound medical terms

esophag/o/gastr/o/duoden/o/scopy

The process of viewing internal structures of the body through a scope + esophagus + stomach + small intestine

hyster/o/salping/o/-oophorectomy

The excision of the uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries

chickenpox

microscope

brainstem

thermometer

cytometer

hydrotherapy

schizophrenia

musculoskeletal

abdomin abdomin/o arthr arthr/o cephal cephal/o dermat dermat/o hepat hepat/o muscul muscul/o nephr nephr/o neur neur/o or or/o oste oste/o pneumon pneumon/o

brady + cardia BRADYCARDIA

pre + natal PRENATAL

sub + cutaneous SUBCUTANEOUS

hyper + thermia HYPERTHERMIA

dys + phagia DYSPHAGIA

Term attached to the end of a word or word part to modify its meaning

Often changes part of speech

derm + al DERMAL

aden/o + pathy ADENOPATHY

tom/o + graphy TOMOGRAPHY

hemat/o + logy HEMATOLOGY

SYNONYM- a word having the same or nearly the same meaning

sublingual and hypoglossal

ANTONYM- a word that means the opposite

anterior and posteriorinferior and superior

HOMONYM- a word that has the same pronunciation as another word but has a different meaning

ilium (pelvic bone) and ileum (third part of the small intestine)

EPONYM- a proper name given to describe a noun. Medical Fame Forever!

Jackson-Pratt drain

McBurney clamp

Lou Gehrig’s disease

Alzheimer’s dementia

ACRONYM- a type of abbreviation in which the first letter of each word in a phrase is joined to form an abbreviated version

HIV Human immunodeficiency virus

CHF Congestive heart failure

ESRD End stage renal disease

COPD Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

TAH Total abdominal hysterectomy

VS Vital signs

SOB Shortness of breath

CP Chest pain

OR Operating room

WNL Within normal limits

Musculoskeletal

Multiple sclerosis

Muscle spasm

Mental status

Morphine sulphate

Mitral stenosis

Milk shake

Motile sperm

“One drop in the right eye once daily”

HUH??????

73 YO WDWNAAF BIBA admitted to CPETU c/o PND & DOE. TBNA in EDTU last wk for CP relieved by NTG. Prev Adm for PTCA 1986, IATT 1997, & LARS 1999, ATSO Dr Jones.

73 years old well developed well nourished African-American female brought in by ambulance. Admitted to chest pain evaluation and treatment unit. Complained of paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea and dyspnoe on exertion. Treated but not admitted in Emergency Diagnostic and Treatment Unit last week for chest pain. Relieved by nitroglycerine. Previously admitted for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty in 1986. Intra-arterial thrombolytic therapy done in 1997 and Laparoscopic Antireflux surgery in 1999. Admit to the service of Dr. Jones.

c (before a,o, u) = k cavity, colon, curec (before e,i) = s cephalic, cirrhosisch = k cholesterolg (before a,o,u) = g gallstone, gonad, gurneyg (before e,i) = j generic, giant, geriatricph = f phasepn = n pneumoniaps = s psychologypt = t ptosis, pterygiumrh, rrh = r rhythm, hemorrhoidx (as first letter in a word) = z xerosis

When two vowels go walking the Second vowel does the talking (and has a long sound)

ea = a

ae = e

ie = e

ei = i

RULE I

Descriptive phrases start with the suffix andthen indicate body part

cystitisitis cyst

inflammation of the bladder

dermatologist

logist dermatoone who studies the skin

RULE II

Body systems follow in the order of study (think scope)

gastroenteritis

itisgastro

entero

hysterosalpingo-oophorectomy

ectomyhystero

salpingooophoro

Add “s”abrasions lacerationscontusions fractures

Add “es” for words ending in “s”, “ch”, or “sh”sinus sinusesdiagnosis diagnosesprognosis prognosespsychosis psychoses

Change the “y” to “i”, and add “es”capillary capillariesovary ovariesmyopathy myopathies

Singular Plural

um a

bacterium bacteria atrium atria ileum ilea

us i

alveolus alveoli bacillus bacilli bronchus bronchi fungus fungi

a ae

vertebra vertebrae patella patellae petichia petichiae

ix ice

appendix appendices (appendixes) cervix cervices (cervixes)

Singular Plural

ex ices

cortex corticesapex apices

ax aces

thorax thoraces or thoraxes

ma mata

ma mata

carcinoma carcinomata (carcinomas)

condyloma condylomata (condylomas)

leiomyoma leiomyomata (leiomyomas)

on a

phenomenom phenomenaprotozoon protozoaspermatozoon spermatozoa

nx nges

phalanx phalangeslarynx laryngespharynx pharynges

1) A word root links a suffix that begins with a vowel.

2) A combining form (root+ vowel usually an o) links a suffix that begins with a consonant.

3) A combining form (root+ vowel usually an o) links a root to another root to form a compound word.