Basic Word Structure

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

• To divide medical terms into component parts

• To analyze, pronounce, and spell medical terms using common combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes

Word Analysis

If you work in a medical setting, you use medical words every day. In addition, you hear medical terms spoken in your doctor’s office, read about health issues, and make daily decisions about your own health care and the health care of your family. Terms such as arthritis, electrocardiogram, hepatitis, and anemia describe conditions and tests that are familiar. Other medical words are more complicated, but as you work in this book, you will begin to understand them even if you have never studied biology or science.

Medical words are like individual jigsaw puzzles. Once you divide the terms into their component parts and learn the meaning of the individual parts, you can use that knowledge to understand many other new terms.

For example, the term HEMATOLOGY is divided into three parts:

When you analyze a medical term, begin at the end of the word. The ending is called a suffix. All medical terms contain suffixes. The suffix in HEMATOLOGY is -LOGY, which means study of. Next, look at the beginning of the term. HEMAT is the word root. The root gives the essential meaning of the term. The root HEMAT means blood.

The third part of this term, which is the letter O, has no meaning of its own but is an important connector between the root (HEMAT) and the suffix (-LOGY). It is called a combining vowel. The letter O is the combining vowel usually found in medical terms.

Now put together the meanings of the suffix and the root: HEMATOLOGY means study of blood.

Another familiar medical term is ELECTROCARDIOGRAM. You probably know this term, often abbreviated as ECG (or sometimes EKG). This is how you divide it into its parts:

Start with the suffix at the end of the term. The suffix -GRAM means a record.

Now look at the beginning of the term. ELECTR is a word root, and it means electricity.

This medical term has two roots. The second root is CARDI, meaning heart. Whenever you see CARDI in other medical terms, you will know that it means heart.

Read the meaning of medical terms from the suffix, back to the beginning of the term, and then across. Broken down this way, ELECTROCARDIOGRAM means record of the electricity in the heart. It is the electrical current flowing within the heart that causes the heart muscle to contract, pumping blood throughout the body. The sound made by contraction and relaxation of the heart muscle is called the heartbeat.

Notice the two combining vowels in ELECTROCARDIOGRAM. Looking for the O in medical terms will help you divide the term into its parts. One combining vowel (O) lies between two roots (ELECTR and CARDI), and another between the root (CARDI) and the suffix (-GRAM).

The combining vowel plus the root is called a combining form. For example, there are two combining forms in the word ELECTROCARDIOGRAM. These combining forms are ELECTR/O, meaning electricity, and CARDI/O, meaning heart.

Notice how the following medical term is analyzed. Can you locate the two combining forms in this term?

The two combining forms are GASTR/O and ENTER/O. The entire word (reading from the suffix, back to the beginning of the term, and across) means study of the stomach and the intestines. Here are other words that are divided into component parts:

	means	instrument to visually examine the stomach.
	means	pertaining to the stomach. Notice that the combining vowel is dropped when the suffix (-IC) begins with a vowel. -IC means pertaining to. Words ending with -IC are adjectives that modify a noun (e.g., gastric pain, gastric cancer).
	means	pertaining to the heart. Again, the combining vowel (0) is dropped when the suffix (-AC) begins with a vowel. Words ending in -AC are adjectives (e.g., cardiac care, cardiac arrest).
	means	inflammation of the intestines. Notice again that the combining vowel (0) is dropped because the suffix (-ITIS) begins with a vowel.
	means	inflammation of the stomach and intestines. Notice that the combining vowel (0) remains between the two roots here, even though the second root (ENTER) begins with a vowel.

In addition to roots, suffixes, combining forms, and combining vowels, many medical terms have a word part attached to the beginning of the term. This is called a prefix, and it can change the meaning of a term in important ways. For example, watch what happens to the meaning of the following medical terms when the prefix changes:

	means	*pertaining to below* the stomach.**
	means	*pertaining to across* the stomach.**
	means	*pertaining to behind* the stomach.**

Let’s review the important word parts:

1. Root—gives the essential meaning of the term.

2. Suffix—is the word ending.

3. Prefix—is a small part added to the beginning of a term.

4. Combining vowel—connects roots to suffixes and roots to other roots.

5. Combining form—is the combination of the root and the combining vowel.

Some important rules to remember are:

1. Read the meaning of medical words from the suffix to the beginning of the word and then across.

2. Drop the combining vowel before a suffix that starts with a vowel.

3. Keep the combining vowel between word roots, even if the second root begins with a vowel.

COMBINING FORMS, SUFFIXES, AND PREFIXES

Presented in this section are lists of combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes that are commonly found in medical terms. Write the meaning of the medical term on the line that is provided. Some terms will be more difficult to understand even after you know the meanings of individual word parts. For these, more extensive explanations are given in italics. To check your work, see the Mini-Dictionary: Glossary of Medical Terms on page 341, which contains meanings of all terms used in this book.

In your study of medical terminology, you will find it helpful to practice writing terms and their meanings many times. You’ll succeed when you follow these simple steps:

1. Complete Exercises beginning on page 23 for this chapter and faithfully check your answers on pages 31 to 32.

2. Fill in the meanings in the Pronunciation of Terms list on pages 33 to 36.

3. Apply your knowledge in the Practical Applications and Picture Show features beginning on page 37.

4. Complete the Review of word parts beginning on page 43 and check your answers.

5. Make sure you understand the key medical terminology concepts in the Terminology Checkup on page 46.

COMBINING FORMS

Notice that the combining form is in bold type, while the root in the medical term is underlined.

COMBINING FORM	MEANING	MEDICAL TERM	MEANING
aden/o	gland	adenoma ____________________
		-OMA means tumor or mass.
		adenitis ____________________
		-ITIS means inflammation.
arthr/o	joint	arthritis ____________________
bi/o	life	biolopy ____________________
		-LOGY means study of.
		bionpsy ____________________
		-OPSY means (process of) viewing. Living tissue is removed and viewed under a microscope.
carcin/o	cancer, cancerous	carcinoma ____________________
cardi/o	heart	carrlinlnpy ____________________
cephal/o	head	cephalic ____________________
		-IC means pertaining to. If an infant is born with the head delivered first, it is a cephalic* presentation.*
cerebr/o	cerebrum, largest part of the brain	cerebral ____________________
		-AL means pertaining to. Figure 1-1 shows the cerebrum and its functions.
		cerebrovascular accident (CVA) ____________________
		-VASCULAR means pertaining to blood vessels; a CVA is commonly known as a stroke.

What happens in a stroke?

Blood is prevented from reaching areas of the cerebrum. Depending on the location and extent of reduced blood flow, signs and symptoms may include loss of movement (paralysis), loss of speech (aphasia), weakness, and changes in sensation.

cyst/o	urinary bladder	cystoscope _________________________________
		-SCOPE means instrument to visually examine. Figure 1-2 shows the urinary bladder and urinary tract in a male. A cystoscope is placed through the urethra into the urinary bladder. See Figure 1-3.
cyt/o	cell	cytnlnpy ____________________
derm/o	skin	dermal ____________________
dermat/o	skin	dermatitis ____________________
electr/o	electricity	electrocardiogram (ECG) ____________________
		-GRAM means record. EKG is an older abbreviation for this test.

encephal/o	brain	electroencephalogram (EEG) ____________________
		This record is helpful in determining whether a patient has a seizure disorder, such as epilepsy.
enter/o	intestines (often the small intestine)	enteritis ____________________
		Figure 1-4 shows the small and large intestines. ENTER/O describes the small intestine and sometimes intestines in general. COL/O and COLON/O are combining forms for the large i ntestine (colon).
erythr/o	red	erythrocyte ____________________
		-CYTE means cell. Figure 1-5 shows the three major types of blood cells.

gastr/o	stomach	gastrnscnpy ____________________
		-SCOPY means process of visual examination using an instrument, or “scope.”
gnos/o	knowledge	diagnosis ____________________
		-SIS means state of; DIA- means complete. A diagnosis is the complete knowledge gained after testing and examining the patient. The plural of diagnosis is diagnoses.Table 1-1 shows other plural formations.
		prognosis ____________________
		PRO- means before. A prognosis is a prediction (before knowledge) that is made after the diagnosis. It forecasts the outcome of treatment.

Table 1-1

FORMATION OF PLURALS

Consult the Mini-Dictionary: Glossary of Medical Terms on page 341 for pronunciations of all terms.
1. Words ending in a retain the a and add e:
*Singular*	*Plural*	*Meaning*
vertebra	vertebrae	backbones
bursa	bursae	Sacs of fluid near a joint
2. Words ending in is drop the is and add es:
*Singular*	*Plural*	*Meaning*
diagnosis	diagnoses	determinations of the nature and cause of diseases
psychosis	psychoses	Abnormal conditions of the mind
3. Words ending in ex or ix drop the ex or ix and add ices:
Singular	Plural	Meaning
apex	apices	Pointed ends of organs
cortex	cortices	outer parts of organs
varix	varices	Enlarged, swollen veins
*Singular*	*Plural*	*Meaning*
ganglion	ganglia	Groups of nerve cells; benign cysts near a joint (such as the wrist)
5. Words ending in um drop the um and add a:
*Singular*	*Plural*	*Meaning*
bacterium ovum	bacteria ova	Types of one-celled organisms Egg cells
6. Words ending in us drop the us and add i^*:
*Singular*	*Plural*	*Meaning*
bronchus	bronchi	Tubes leading from the windpipe to the lungs
calculus	calculi	Stones

^*Exceptions to this rule are viruses and sinuses.

gynec/o	woman,	female	gynecolopy ____________________
hem/o,	blood		hemoglobin ____________________
hemat/o			-GLOBIN means protein. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells (erythrocytes) that helps carry oxygen in the blood.
			hematom ____________________
			-OMA means mass or tumor. In this term, -oma indicates a mass or swelling containing blood.
hepat/o	liver		hepatitis ____________________

Be careful about spelling this term!

The combining form is gynec/o. A gynecologist specializes in diseases of the female reproductive organs. Gynecology involves both surgical and internal medicine expertise and is often practiced with obstetrics (care of pregnant women and delivery of a fetus).

Hematoma

A hematoma is a mass of blood trapped in tissues of the skin or in an organ. It often results from trauma and is commonly called a bruise or “black-and-blue” mark. Figure 1-6, A and B shows hematomas.

lapar/o	abdomen (area between the chest and hip)	laparotomy ____________________
		-TOMY means cutting into. In an exploratory laparotomy the surgeon makes a large incision in the abdominal wall to inspect organs for evidence of disease. See Figure 1-7. Another combining form for abdomen is ABDOMIN/O, as in abdominal.
leuk/o	white	leukocyte ____________________
		Figure 1-5 on page 9 shows fve different types of leukocytes.
nephr/o	kidney	nephrectomy ____________________
		-ECTOMY means cutting out—an excision or resection of an organ or other part of the body.
neur/o	nerve	neurology____________________
onc/o	tumor	oncologist ____________________
		-IST means a specialist.

ophthalm/o	eye	ophthalmoscope____________________
		Figure 1-8 shows an ophthalmologist,* a medical doctor, examining a patient’s eyes with an**ophthalmoscope.*
oste/o	bone	osteoarthritis ____________________
		Figure 1-9 shows a normal knee joint and a knee joint with osteoarthritis. Degenerative changes and thinning and loss of cartilage occur. Inflammation of the joint membrane occurs late in the disease.

path/o	disease	pathologist ____________________
		A pathologist is a medical doctor who views biopsy samples to make a diagnosis and examines dead bodies (in an autopsy) to determine the cause of death. AUT-means self, and -OPSY means (process of) viewing. Thus, an autopsy is an opportunity to see for oneself what caused a patient’s death.
psych/o	mind	psychosis ____________________
		-OSIS means abnormal condition. In this serious mental condition, the patient loses touch with reality. Psychotic symptoms include hallucinations (unreal sensory perceptions, such as hearing voices when none are present) and delusions (fixed, false beliefs that can’t be changed by logical reasoning).
ren/o	kidney	renal ____________________
		Sometimes there are two combining forms for the same part of the body. Often, one comes from Latin, and the other from Greek. (REN- is the Latin root meaning “kidney,” and NEPHR- is the Greek root meaning “kidney.”) The Greek root describes abnormal conditions and procedures, whereas the Latin root is used with -AL, meaning “pertaining to.”
rhin/o	nose	rhinitis ____________________
sarc/o	flesh	sarcoma ____________________
		Sarcomas and carcinomas are cancerous tumors. Sarcomas grow from the fleshy tissues of the body, such as muscle, flat, bone, and cartilage, whereas carcinomas arise from skin tissue and the linings of internal organs.
thromb/o	clotting	thrombooyte ____________________
		A thrombocyte (platelet)* is a small cell that helps blood to clot. Platelets are shown in* Figure 1-5 (see page 9).
		thrombosis ____________________
		Formation of a thrombus* (blood clot) occurs when thrombocytes and other clotting factors combine. Thrombosis describes the condition of forming a clot (thrombus).*

Pathologist/Medical examiner/Coroner

A medical examiner (M.E.) is a pathologist who specializes in forensic (legal) medicine related to criminal issues. A coroner, however, is an elected official (administrator) who investigates any suspicious death. This official may or may not be a medical examiner.

SUFFIXES

Each suffix is in bold type in the Suffix column and underlined in the Medical Term column.

SUFFIX	MEANING	MEDICAL TERM	MEANING
-al	pertaining to	neural ____________________
		Other suffixes meaning pertaining to are listed on page 375 in the Mini-Dictionary: Glossary of Word Parts.
-algia	pain	arthralgia ____________________
-cyte	cell	leukocyte____________________
-ectomy	cutting out; removal, excision	gastrectomy ____________________
		In a partial or subtotal gastrectomy, only a portion of the stomach is removed.
-emia	blood condition	leukemia ____________________
		Large numbers of immature, cancerous cells are found in the bloodstream and bone marrow (inner part of bone that makes blood cells).
-globin	protein	hemoglobin ____________________
-gram	record	arthrogram
		This is an x-ray record of a joint.
-ia	condition	neuralgia ____________________
-ic	pertaining to	gastric ____________________
-ism	condition, process	hyperthyroidism
		HYPER- means excessive. The thyroid gland is in the neck. It secretes the hormone thyroxine, which helps cells burn food to release energy. See Figure 1-10.
-itis	inflammation	gastroenteritis ____________________
-logist	specialist in the study of	neurologist ____________________
-logy	study of	nephrology ____________________
		See Table 1-2 on page 16 for a list of other terms using -LOGY.
-oma	tumor, mass	hepatoma ____________________
		This is a cancerous (malignant) tumor, also called hepatocellular carcinoma.

Table 1-2

TERMS USING -LOGY (STUDY OF)

cardiology	Study of the heart
dermatology	Study of the skin
endocrinology	Study of the endocrine glands
gastroenterology	Study of the stomach and intestines
gynecology	Study of women and women’s diseases
hematology	Study of the blood
neurology	Study of the nerves and the brain and spinal cord
oncology	Study of tumors (cancerous or malignant diseases)
ophthalmology	Study of the eye
pathology	Study of disease
psychology	Study of the mind and mental disorders
rheumatology	Study of joint diseases (RHEUMAT/O = flow or watery discharge, which was once thought to cause aches and pains, especially in joints)

-opsy	to view	biopsy__________
-osis	abnormal	nfiphrosis__________
	condition	lfiiikocytosis__________
		This is an increase in numbers of normal white blood cells as a response to infection.

-scope	instrument to visually examine	gastroscope ____________________
		laparnsfopfi ____________________
-scopy	process of visual examination	laparoscope ____________________
		Small incisions are made near the navel, and instruments are inserted into the abdomen for viewing organs and performing procedures such as tying off the fallopian or uterine tubes. See Figure 1-11.
		arthroscopy ____________________
		See Figure 1-12 (page 18).
-sis	state of	propnosis ____________________
-tomy	process of cutting into; incision	neurotomy ____________________

PREFIXES

Each prefix is in bold type in the Prefix column and underlined in the Medical Term column.

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Tags: Medical Terminology A Short Course

May 25, 2017 | Posted by admin in GENERAL & FAMILY MEDICINE | Comments Off