1. Chapter 1: Basic Word Structure

2. Objectives Analyze words by dividing them into component parts.
Relate the medical terms to the structure & function of the human body.
Major focus is to explain the terms in context (not merely memorization)
Be aware of spelling & pronunciation problems.
Some terms are pronounced alike but spelled differently, which accounts for different meanings
Example: ilium & ileum
Ilium = part of the hip bone
Ileum = part of the small intestine

3. Word Parts Basic types of word parts are used to create medical terms:
Word roots : foundation of the term
Suffixes : word ending
Prefixes : word beginning
Combining vowel: vowel (usually o) that links the root to the suffix or the root to another root
Combining form: combination of the root & the combining vowel

4. Word Root
The word root is the main part or foundation of a word. All words have word roots.
In medical terminology, the root may indicate a body part or body system or colors.
- cardial – heart
- pancreatitis – pancreas
- cyanosis – blue
A medical word may be simply be a root or it may be a combination of word elements.
- sclera – white of the eye
- electr/o/cardi/o/gram – 2 roots and a suffix

5. Combining Form
Many words would be difficult to pronounce if written without a vowel to join the word roots.
When you take a word root and add a vowel it becomes a combining form. This vowel is usually an “o”, and it is called a combining vowel.
- cyst/o
- therm/o
The combining vowel is used before suffixes that begin with a consonant and before another word root. Prefixes are not included in this rule.

6. Rules for Combining Forms
A combining vowel is used when the suffix begins with a consonant.
A combining vowel is not used when the suffix begins with a vowel.
Gastritis, not “gastroitis”
A combining form is always used when combining two or more root words.
Gastroenterology, not “gastrenterology”
A prefix does not require a combining vowel. Do not place a combining vowel between a prefix and a root word.

7. Learning Check
How do you Combine the root (cardi) , meaning “heart,” with the suffix (-logy ), meaning “study of,” to form a word meaning “study of the heart.”?

8. Common Combining Forms
Aden/o – gland
Cis/o – to cut
Arthr /o – joint
Crin/o – to secrete
Bi/o – life
Cyst/o – urinary bladder; a sac or a cyst
carcin/o – cancerous, cancer
Cyt/o – cell
Cardi/o – heart
Derm/o – skin
Cephal/o – head
Electr/o – electricity
Cerebr/o – cerebrum (largest part of the brain)

9. Common Combining Forms
Encephal/o – brain
Hemat/o – blood
Ener/o – intestines
Hepat/o – liver
Erythr/o – red
Iatr/o – treatment, physician
Gastr/o – stomach
Leuk/o – white
Glyc/o – sugar
Log/o study of
Gnos/o – knowledge
Nephr/o – kidney
Gynec/o – woman, female
Neur/o nerve

10. Common Combining Forms
Onc/o – tumor
Rhin/o – nose
Ophthalm/o – eye
Sarc/o – flesh
Oste/o – bone
Sect/o – to cut
Path/o – disease
Thromb/o – clot, clotting
Ped/o – child
Ur/o – urinary tract, urine
Psych/o – mind
Radi/o – x-rays
Ren/o – kidney

11. Suffix
Suffixes usually, but not always, indicate the procedure, condition, disorder, or disease.
Examples:
cardiomegaly
gastralgia
neuritis
Changing the suffix, changes the meaning of the word.
- dent/al – “al” means pertaining to
- dent/ist – “ist” means specialist

12. Common Suffixes Meaning “pertaining to”: Meaning “abnormal condition”:
-ac
-ago
-al
-ia
-ary
-osis
-ar
-ism
-ial
-ic
-ous
-genic

13. Other common suffixes:
-algia – pain
-itis – inflammation
-cyte – cell
-logy – process of study
-ectomy – excision, removal
-oma – tumor or mass
-opsy – process of viewing
-emia – blood condition
- globin – protein
-ostomy – surgically creating an opening
-gram – record
-ion – process
-ist – specialist

14. Other common suffixes:
-otomy – incision into
-scopy – process of visually examining
-pathy – disease
-sis – state or condition of
-plasty – surgical repair
-phobia – irrational fear
-tomy – instrument to cut
-paresis – weakness
-y – process, condition
-plegia – paralysis
-rrhea – discharge, flow
-scope – instrument to view or examine

15. Group Activity
In groups of two, come up with at least one example of 8 of the 11 suffixes

16. DETERMINING MEANINGS ON THE BASIS OF WORD PARTS
Write the word and decipher these medical terms based on their word parts:
cardi- + -plasty
gastr- + -itis
neur- + -algia
cardi- + -sclerosis
gastr- + -ostomy
neur- + -ectomy

17. Prefixes
Prefixes usually, but not always, indicate location, time, negation, number, or status.
Examples:
pericardium
epigastric
polyneuritis

18. Common Prefixes Negation a-, an- = no, without, not im-, in- = not
Position
ante-, pre-, pro- = before
inter- = between
Epi- = above
medi- = middle
Hyper- = excessive, above, more than normal
post- = after, behind
retro- = behind, backward
hypo-, intra-, sub- = under, below

19. Common Prefixes Time pre- - before post- - after Measurement & Numbers
micro- - small
mon-, uni- - 1
macro- - large
bi-, di- - 2
hyper- - excessive
tri- - 3
multi-, poly- - many
quadri- - 4
primi- - first

20. Taking Terms Apart
To determine a word’s meaning by looking at the component pieces, you must first separate it into word parts.
Always start at the end of the word, with the suffix, and work toward the beginning.
As you separate the word parts, identify the meaning of each. Identifying the meaning of each part should give you a definition of the term.
Because some word parts have more than one meaning, it also is necessary to determine the context in which the term is being used.

21. SINGULAR VS. PLURAL -mata Greek Singular Suffixes Plural Suffixes -on
Spermatozoon, ganglion
Spermatozoa, ganglia
-mata
-ma
Carcinomata, lipomata
Carcinoma, lipoma
-ses
-sis
Crises, prognoses
Crisis, prognosis
-ges
-nx
Larynges, pharynges
Larynx, pharynx

22. SINGULAR VS. PLURAL Latin Singular Suffixes Plural Suffixes -a -ae
Vertebra, conjunctiva
Vertebrae, conjunctivae
-us -i
Bacillus, bronchus
Bacilli, bronchi
-um
Bacterium, ilium
Bacteria, ilia
-is
-es
Testis
Testes