The Basics
A procedure, device, or procedure name based on the person who invented or discovered it
i.e. Levine sign
Eponyms
Levine sign- holding chest, near heart, when chest hurts
The portion that appears before a word root
i.e sub (below)
Prefix
subcutaneous- below the skin
cyan/o
Blue
i.e cyanosis- blue discoloration of skin
semi-
half;part
i.e semiconscious- partially conscious
gloss/o
Tongue
Pair of words that are pronounced almost the same
i.e ileum and ilium
Homonyms
ileum- last portion of the small intestine
ilium- largest bone of the pelvis
The foundation of the term
Word root
melan/o
Black
i.e melena- black, tarry stools cause by an upper GI bleed
tetra-
Four
i.e Tetralogy of Fallot- congenital anomaly involving four anatomic abnormalities of the heart
ot/o
Ear
Pair of root words, prefixes, or suffix that have the same or almost the same meaning
i.e angi/o and vasc/o
Synonyms
The portion that appears after the root word
i.e itis
Suffix
i.e itis- inflammation
gastritis
erythr/o
Red
i.e erythrocyte- red blood cell that contains hemoglobin to carry O2
primi-
First
i.e. primigravida- pregnant for the first time
thorac/o
Chest, thorax
Origin in which medical terms that refer to diseases are derived from _______________
Greek words
Vowel that links one or more word roots to an other component of a term
i.e cardi/o
Combining vowel
i.e cardio/o meaning - heart
cirrh/o
Yellow-orange
i.e cirrhosis- inflammation of an organ, such as cirrhosis of the liver- causes yellow-orange pigmentation of skin
un-
One
i.e. unilateral- affecting one side
nas/o
Nose
Origin of words that refer to anatomical structures are derived from______________
Latin words
Medical term contains more than one word root
Compound words
leuk/o
White
i.e leukocyte- white blood cell
bi-
Two
i.e. bilateral- pertaining to both sides of the body
cephal/o
Head