1. Medical Terminology
NURS 1103 or HLSC 2613

2. Learning Terminology
Learning Terminology

3. INTRODUCTION TO MEDICAL LANGUAGE (ML)
Dr. Mohammed Qasim
Baghdad College of Medicine
Respected c

4. Main Objective: Learn Medical Terminology
New students to Medical Terminology often bewildered by strange spelling and pronunciation.
Approximately 75% of Medical Terms are based on either Greek or Latin

5. Medical Terminology Mispronunciations
Artery - The study of fine paintings.
Benign - What you are after you be eight.
Coma - A punctuation mark.
Morbid - A higher offer.
Urine - opposite of you’re out.
Tablet - A small table.

6. Course Objectives Apply basic principles of medical word building.
Correctly pronounce medical terms.
Define common medical terms.
Relate common medical terms to human anatomy and physiology; common disease states, pharmacological categories and diagnostic tests.
Identify the medical terminology in medical record reports.

7. A Busy Course!
Are you feeling like a lot of information is about to come your way?
The answer is YES.

8. Lecture 1 Basic Elements of Medical Word
Now, lets begin
Lecture 1
Basic Elements of Medical Word

9. Medical Dictionary Use
Look Up Unfamiliar Terms

10. Building Medical Terms
Word Root
Prefix
Suffix
Combining forms

11. Forming Medical Terms Medical Term Word root Suffix Prefix
Combining forms

12. Word Roots (WR) Usually derived form Greek or Latin
Frequently indicates a body part
Most medical terms have one or more word roots

13. Examples of Word Roods

14. Combining Forms (CF)
Combining Form (CF) is a Word Root (WR) plus a vowel, usually an “o”
Usually indicates a body part

15. Combining Forms Examples
Cardi/ + o = cardi/o heart
gastr/ + o = gastr/o stomach
hepat/ + o = hepat/o liver
nephr/ + o = nephr/o kidney
oste/ + o = oste/o bone

16. Suffixes
Word Ending
Suffix usually indicates a procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech
Usually derived from Greek or Latin

17. Examples of Suffix
Arthr/o -centesis Arthrocentesis joint puncture puncture of a joint
throac/o -tomy Thoracotomy chest incision incision of the chest
gastr/o -megaly Gastromegaly stomach enlargement enlargement of the stomach

18. Prefixes Word element located at the beginning of a word
Changes the meaning of the word
Usually indicates a number, time, position, direction, color, or sense of negation

19. Examples of Prefix A- mast -ia without breast condition
hyper therm ia
excessive heat condition
intra muscul ar in muscle relating to

20. Basic Rule One
A WR (word root) is used before a suffix that begins with a vowel. Scler/ + osis = sclerosis

21. Basic Rule Two
A combining vowel is used to link a WR to a suffix that begins with a consonant and to link a WR to another WR to form a compound word colon/o + scope = colonscope osteo/ o/ chondr/ itis = osteochondritis

22. Defining Medical Words
First, define the suffix or ending
Second, define the prefix, or beginning
Third, define the middle

23. Word Roots and Combining Forms [CYT(O)]
Meaning
cyt(o)
dextr(o)
dips(o)
dors(o)
erythr(o)
esthesio
cell
right
thirst
back
red
sensation, perception

24. Word Roots and Combining Forms
Meaning
galact(o)
gluco
gero
glyco
gyn(o)
home(o)
kin(o)
milk
glucose
old age
sugars
women
same
movement

25. Word Roots and Combining Forms Combining Forms Meaning kinesi(o)
lact(o)
leuk(o)
lith(o)
mio
narco
necro
motion
milk
white
stone
smaller; less
sleep; numbness
death; dying

26. Word Roots and Combining Forms [NOCT(O)]
Meaning
noct(i)
oncho
path(o)
phago
phon(o)
pseud(o)
pyo
night
tumor
disease
eating
sound; voice
false
pus

27. Word Roots and Combining Forms [PYRO]
Meaning
pyro
salping(o)
schiz(o)
scler(o)
scolio
somato
spiro
fever
tube
split; division
hardening
crooked; bent
body
breath; breathe

28. Word Roots and Combining Forms [TEL(O)]
Meaning
tel(o)
tono
tropho
xanth(o)
xeno
Xer(o)
distant; end; complete
tension; pressure
food; nutrition
yellow
stranger
dry

29. Prefixes Prefixes Prefix Suffix Word Root
Prefixes are attached to the beginning of words.
Modifies the meaning of the word or word root.
Indicates size, quantity, position of, and location.

30. Prefixes (a–aut) Prefixes Prefix Meaning a ab ana ante anti aut(0)
without
away from
up, toward
before
against
self

31. Prefixes (brachy–hypo)
Meaning
brachy
brady
contra
dys
hemi
hyper
hypo
short
slow
against
abnormal; difficult
half
above normal
below normal

32. Prefixes (inter–peri)
Meaning
Prefix
inter
iso
mal
meta
micr(o)
olig(o)
peri
between
equal; same
bad; inadequate
after
small
few; little; scanty
around; about; near

33. Prefixes (pro–un) Prefixes Prefix Meaning pro before; forward re retro
semi
supra
tachy un
before; forward
again; backward
behind; backward
half
above; over
fast
not

34. Suffixes Suffixes Prefix Suffix Word Root
Attaches to the end of the word and carries the underlying meaning of the word.
Suffixes can also be combining forms.

35. Suffixes (ad–crine) Suffixes Suffix Meaning -ad -algia -asthenia
-blast
-cidal
-clast
-crine
toward
pain
weakness
immature; forming
destroying; killing
breaking
secreting

36. Suffixes (crit–ectomy)
Meaning
-crit
-cyte
-cytosis
-derma
-dynia
-ectasis
-ectomy
separate
cell
condition of cells
skin
pain
expanding; dilating
removal of

37. Suffixes (emesis–graphy)
Meaning
-emesis
-emia
-esthesia
-globin
-gram
-graph
-graphy
vomiting
blood
sensation
protein
a recording
recording instrument
process of recording

38. Suffixes (ic–malacia)
Meaning
-ic
-ism
-itis
-kinesia
-logist
-lysis
-malacia
pertaining to
condition; disease
inflammation
movement
one who practices
destruction of
softening

39. Suffixes (mania-pathy)
Meaning
-mania
-megaly
-oid
-opia
-ostomy
-para
-pathy
obsession
enlargement
like; resembling
vision
opening
bearing
disease

40. Suffixes (penia-phrenia)
Meaning
-penia
-pepsia
-pexy
-phage
-phobia
-phonia
-phrenia
deficiency
digestion
fixation
eating; devouring
fear
sound
of the mind

41. Suffixes (phylaxis-rrhaphy)
Meaning
-phylaxis
-plasty
-plegia
-pnea
-ptosis
-rrhagia
-rrhaphy
protection
surgical repair
paralysis
breath
falling down; drooping
heavy discharge
surgical suturing

42. Suffixes (rrhexis-tropia)
Meaning
-rrhexis
-spasm
-stasis
-stenosis
-tomy
-trophy
-tropia
rupture
contraction
stopping; constant
narrowing
cutting operation
nutrition
turning

43. Pluralizing Terms Rules
Add s to words ending in any vowel or consonant except s,x,z, or y (ex. joint- joints)
Add es to words ending in s,x, or z (ex. reflex - reflexes)

44. Pluralizing Terms Rules Cont’d
Remove x and add `ces to Latin words ending in x (ex. appendix - appendices)
Remove the `y and add `ies to words ending in `y preceded by a consonant (ex. mastectomy- mastectomies)

45. Pluralizing Terms Rules Cont’d
When an ending `y is preceded by a vowel, the usual plural suffix is `s (ex. boy - boys)
Add `e to Latin terms ending in a (ex. lamina - laminae)

46. Pluralizing Terms Rules Cont’d
Remove `us and add `i to Latin words ending in us (ex. bacillus- bacilli)
Change `sis to `ses in Greek words ending in sis (ex. psychosis - psychoses)

47. Pluralizing Terms Rules Cont’d
Remove `on from and add `a to Greek words ending in `on (ex. criterion - criteria)
Remove `um from and add `a to Latin words ending in um (ex. diverticulum - diverticula)

48. Pluralizing Rules Latin Greek Singular Plural Singular Plural
fossa fossae
datum data
radix radices
neurosis neuroses
ganglion ganglia
calyx calyces