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1. Medical terMinology
introduction
Medical terminology is the study of medical terms or is the language of health
care industry.
Objectives
• To provide basic information about the structure and function of each body
system.
• To provide a clear, concise, understanding of commonly used medical terms
1. introducing the foundation of medical terminology
2. presenting techniques for breaking complex medical term into:
a) root b) prefixes c) suffix
3. providing variety of exercise to enable student to learn to spell define
and use medical term
chapter one
Building Blocks of Medical terMinology
Objective
 Briefly define root, prefixes, suffixes, combining form and combining vowels
 Analyze medical term by identifying the root prefix and suffix
 Combine root and suffix
 Building medical term using root prefixes, suffixes and combining

2. Over view
 Learning medical terminology is very like learning a foreign language.
 You begin by studying the rules of language, progressing to learn words.
Move on to putting the words together to form sentence in finally
developing the ability to communicate using language.
 It’s impossible to memorize language but you can memorize the roles and
word part associated with the language.
 Most medical terms are derived from Greek and Latin
 Medical terms contain three basic parts a)
root b) prefixes c) suffix
 This chapter introduce root prefixes and suffixes and the rule of
combination the word parts (word element).
1. Root
 Root is foundation of medical term; all medical roots have at least one root.
 Root is identifies a part of the body or color
 Prefixes and suffixes change the meaning of word that have same root.
 Some common body part roots are the following:
Arthr/o = joint cardi/o = heart derm/o or dermat/o = skin
Gastr/o = stomach
 Some common roots denotes color
Cyno =blue or bluish eosin/o = rosy erthr/o = red

3. Leuk/o = white melan/o = black xanth/o = yellow
All medical terms have combining form that is created when root is combined
with a vowel. The vowel is called combining vowel is usually an o and
occasionally and i or e. the combining vowel is used to join word element and
help easy pronunciation of medical term.
The combining form of root is used:
a) When join root with root e.g.: cardi+ o + vascular = cardiovascular
b) When join root with suffixes that begin with a consonant e.g. cardiomegaly
2. prefixes
 is a word element or part that is added to the beginning of the word root
 All medical terms do not have prefixes. In a list of word parts, prefixes are
easily identified because they are written with a hyphen after the prefixes.
 Many prefixes associated with medical term keep their English meaning
E.g. Pre: before post: after anti: against
Example of prefixes
Ante-: before hemi-: half multi-: many neo-: new sub-: under bellow
 Prefixes are added to a word root with additional vowel.
3. Suffixes
 Suffix is a word element or part is added to the end of the word root
 All medical terms must have suffix to complete the term except when the
root can stand alone as a word itself.

4.  Suffixes indicate whether medical term is a noun or an adjective
Example of suffixes:
-ac; -al; -ar; -ary = pertaining to; like -ic; iac; = pertaining to
- iod = like, resembling -ectomy = surgical removal, excision
- itis = inflammation -megaly = enlargement
-pathy = disease
Combining roots, prefixes, and suffixes
Combining roots, prefixes, and suffixes is the basic way to create medical
terms. A few rules apply to this process, Review the following rules and
examples and complete the exercises.
1) When combining more than one root in a medical term, the combining form
of the root is usually used between the roots.
Example: cardiogastric = pertaining to the heart and stomach
Note that the combining form of cardi/o is used to join the roots cardi and
gastr.
2) When combining a root with a suffix that begins with a consonant (any later
other than a, e, I, o, u, and y), the combining form of the root must be used to
connect the suffix and root.
Example: gastromegaly =enlarged stomach or enlargement of the stomach.

5. The root gastr means stomach, and the suffix -megaly means enlarged.
Note how using the combining form gastr/o aids in the pronunciation of this
term. Imagine how difficult it would be to say gastrmegaly!
3) When combining a root with a suffix that begins with a vowel, the
combining form is not used.
Example: gastrectomy= surgical removal of the stomach. Because the
suffix –ectomy, which means surgical removal, begins with a vowel, the root
gastr is used to create the medical term. Pronunciation is much smoother
with out the combining vowel.
4) There will always be some exceptions to these rules. For example, when
combining word roots and one of the roots begins with a vowel, the combining
vowel is retained, as with the term gastroenterology. The root gastr keeps
the combining vowel”o” when combined with root enter.
Gastroenterology literally means the study of the stomach and intestines,
which are major organs of the digestive system.
Pronunciation Rule
Pronunciation medical terms seems difficult because medical terms are often
very long. A comprehensive medical dictionary is available tool for learning the
pronunciation and meaning of medical terms. There are several rules that
provide guidance for term pronunciation. Pronunciations are written phonetically

6. (by sound) with the primary accented syllables presented in bold uppercase
letters. Secondary accented syllable are presented in bold lowercase letters.
 Medical terms with two syllable are usually accented on the first syllable
example: gastric = GASS-trik
 Medical term with more than two syllable are usually accented on the third
to the last or next to the last syllable example: a) gastritis
=gass-TRY-tis next to the last syllable accented rule b)
gastromegaly = gass-tro-MEG-ah-lee the third to the last syllable
accented rule.
 The vowel in the accented syllable is pronounced with along vowel sound
when the syllable ends with a vowel example: gastritis = gass-TRY-tis tri
is pronounced with a long i sound.
 The vowel in the accented syllable is pronounced with a short sound when
the syllable ends with a consonant. Example: cardiomegaly= kar-dee-oh-
MEG-ah-lee is pronounced with a short e sound.
 The will always be acceptions to these rule.
Singular and plural words
In English language singular are often made plural by adding s or es to the
word example: tree singular threes: plural box: singular boxes: plural
But the medical terms are different from English. Not the word ending
changes to form the plural.

7. Singular ending Plural ending Singular
example
Plural example
-a -ae Papilla papillae
-en -ina Lumen lumina
-ex; -ix -ices Apex apices
-ies -ietes Paries parietes
-is -es diagnosis diagnoses
-is Ides epididymis epididymides
-nx -nges Larnx larynges
-on -a gangalion gangalia
-um -a Atrium atria
-us -i bronchus bronchi
-us -era Viscus viscera
-us -ora Corpus Corpora
Working with Root, Prefixes, and Suffixes
Once you have working knowledge of root, prefixes and suffixes. You are
able to analyze, define and build medical term.
To analyze medical term:
A) Begin to identifying the word elements.
b) Recall the meaning of each element.
Root, prefixes and suffixes and their meanings

8. Root Meaning Prefix meaning suffix meaning
Arthr/o Joint epi- Above algia pain
Cardi/o Heart Hemi- Half itis inflammation
Gastr/o Stomach Hypo- Below, deficient megaly enlargment
Hepat/o Liver Peri- around pathy disease
Oste/o Bone Poly- many plasty repair
Analyzing medical term
Write a brief definition for the term based on the meaning of each word parts:
example: hemigastrectomy
Root: gastr = stomuch
Prefix: hemi = half
Suffix: ectomy = surgical removal
Definition: surgical removal of the half the stomach
Building medical term
Read each definition.
Write the name of the body part, combining form for the root and suffix and
the prefix use the rules for word building .write medical term for each
definition.
Example:
Definition: inflammation of the joints
Body part: joint

9. Root: arthr/o
Suffix: -itis
Prefix: none
Medical term: arthritis

10. Root: arthr/o
Suffix: -itis
Prefix: none
Medical term: arthritis