Anatomy of Terms
Directional Terms
AAS
(Abbreviations, Acronyms, and Symbols)
Root Words
Break it Down
100

Conveying the essential meaning of a term.

What is the root word?

100

Whose right or left do I use when discussing a patient's medical assessment?

Who is the patient?

100

DNR

What is do not resuscitate?

100

Cardi/o refers to this.

What is the heart?

100

When I say hyperemesis, this is happening.

What is excessive vomiting?

200

How the parts of a medical word are put together determine this.

What is its meaning?

200

The umbilicus is _______ to the groin, and _________ to the head.

What is superior and inferior?

200

SAMPLE

What is Signs/Symptoms, Allergies, Medications, Past Pertinent History, Last Oral Intake, and Events leading up to illness?

200

Cerebr/o refers to this.

What is the brain?

200

Apneic is this.

What is not breathing?

300

This word part usually describes number, color, location or intensity.

What is a prefix?

300

This term describes a body part that is farther away from the trunk.

What is distal?

300

>

What is greater than?

300

Brachi/o refers to this.

What is the arm?

300

If a patient is bradycardic, this is happening.

What is a slow heart rate?

400

When describing a procedure, condition, disease, or part of speech, you add this.

What is a suffix?

400

When a body part is located away from the midline.

What is lateral?

400

BVM

What is a bag-valve mask?

400

Thorac/o refers to this.

What is the chest?

400

If I have dysuria, what is going on?

What is having a difficult time urinating?

500

When a medical term has two or more root words, I add one of these.

What is a vowel?

500

When a structure of the body occurs on each side of the midline, it is called this.

What is bilateral?

500

ETOH

What is ethyl alcohol?

500

Pharyng/o refers to this.

What is the throat?

500

Your baby has macrocephaly which means this.

What is an enlarged head?

M
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