History & Origins
Over two-thirds of modern medical and scientific terms come from this ancient language.
What is Greek?
This is the fundamental part of a Greek or Latin word that carries its basic meaning.
What is a root?
The prefix HYPER- has this meaning.
What is above, beyond, or excessive?
These structures connect bones to one another and support joints
What are ligaments?
The upper respiratory tract extends from the nose to this structure, also known as the voice box.
What is the larynx?
This collection of about 60 ancient medical texts was associated with the teachings of Hippocrates.
What is the Hippocratic Corpus?
This word element is attached to the beginning of a term and modifies its meaning.
What is a prefix?
The suffix -ITIS, as in arthritis, means this.
What is inflammation?
This fibrous structure attaches a muscle to a bone.
What is a tendon?
This valve-like structure covers the glottis while swallowing to help prevent food from entering the respiratory tract.
What is the epiglottis?
This process involves moving a word from one language into another while representing its sounds or letters.
What is transliteration?
This word element is added to the end of a medical term and can indicate meaning or grammatical function.
What is a suffix?
INTRA- means this, while EXTRA- means outside or beyond.
What is within?
Galen used this term for a joint that has visible movement.
What is diarthrosis?
These microscopic air sacs are where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged between the lungs and blood.
What are the alveoli?
This Greek physician’s writings helped make the theory of the four humors standard in European medicine.
Who is Galen?
The O in hepatology performs this function between the root and a suffix beginning with a consonant.
What is a combining vowel?
This Greek prefix means “difficult, painful, or faulty” and appears in words such as dystrophy.
What is DYS-?
This connective tissue surrounds fascicles, while epimysium surrounds the entire skeletal muscle.
What is the perimysium?
This muscle separates the thoracic and abdominal cavities and moves during inhalation and exhalation.
What is the diaphragm?
This Renaissance anatomist challenged some of Galen’s anatomical descriptions, which were inaccurate partly because Galen relied on animal dissections.
Who is Vesalius?
In pericarditis, a vowel is omitted when word elements are joined. This process is called this.
What is elision?
The suffix -AD, as in cephalad, indicates this relationship to a body part.
What is direction toward?
In muscle terminology, this type of contraction occurs when a muscle lengthens rather than shortens.
What is an eccentric contraction?
Aristotle believed respiration primarily served this purpose by bringing cool air into the lungs to regulate the heart’s innate heat.
What is cooling the body’s innate heat?