This chapter discusses medical terminology and covers several key areas: 1) It identifies word roots, prefixes, and suffixes as the basic elements used to build medical terms and examines examples of each. 2) It describes combining forms and unique plural endings that are applied to medical terms. 3) Pronunciation rules and guidelines for medical terms are provided as accurate pronunciation is important. 4) Common medical abbreviations and symbols are explained as well as The Joint Commission's "Do Not Use" list of ambiguous abbreviations that can lead to errors.

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Chapter 4: Medical Terminology

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Objectives
1. Identify, define, and use basic word elements
individually and within medical terms.
2. Demonstrate proper pronunciation of medical terms and
unique plural endings.
3. Use common medical abbreviations and symbols, and
explain how items on the “Do Not Use” list can cause
problems.

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Word Roots
• The subject of a medical term
• Foundation on which term is built
• Typically indicates tissue, organ, body system, color,
condition, substance, or structure
Example:
Word Root Meaning Example Meaning
Thromb To clot Thrombosis Condition
of clotting

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Prefixes
• A word element that comes before a word root
• Modifies meaning of word root by adding information,
such as presence, absence, location, number, or size
Example:
Prefix Meaning Example Meaning
A- Without Anuclear Without a
nucleus

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Suffixes
• A word ending
• Follows a word root & changes or adds to its meaning
• To determine meaning of a medical term, first identify
the meaning of the suffix.
Example:
Suffix Meaning Example Meaning
-ic Pertaining
to
Gastric Pertaining
to the
stomach

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Combining Vowels/Forms
• A vowel (often “o” or “i”) added between 2 word roots or a
word root & a suffix to make pronunciation easier
• A word root combined with a vowel is a combining form.
• Not needed if a suffix begins with a vowel
Example:
Word
Root
Comb.
Vowel
Suffix Comb.
Form
Word & Meaning
Path o -logy Path/o Pathology: the study of
disease

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Discrepancies in the Classification of Word
Elements
• Texts vary in how they classify
word elements of medical terms
• Some word elements may be
classified one way in one term
& a different way in another
Example:
Word
Root
Comb.
Vowel
Suffix Word & Meaning
Path o -logy Pathology: the study of disease
My o -pathy Myopathy: disease of the
muscle
It is more important to be
able to identify the
meaning of a word element
than to identify its
classification.

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Unique Plural Endings
Word
Ending
Plural
Ending
Singular
Example
Plural Example
-a -ae Vena cava Vena cavae
-en -ina Lumen Lumina
-ex, -ix -ices Appendix Appendices
-is -es Crisis Crises
-nx -nges Phalanx Phalanges
-on -a Protozoan Protozoa
-um -a Ovum Ova
-us -i Nucleus Nuclei
Identify the singular or plural forms of words listed in Labeling Exercise
4-2 in the WORKBOOK.

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Pronunciation
• Pronunciation & spelling can affect meaning.
• Basic English pronunciation rules apply to most terms.
• Some terms may have more than one acceptable
pronunciation; for example, hemophilia can be
pronounced:
“he mo fil’ e a” or “hem o fil’ e a”
• Some terms that are spelled differently are pronounced
the same; for example, ilium, which means “hipbone,” is
pronounced the same as ileum, which means “small
intestine.”
Labeling Exercise 4-3 in the WORKBOOK can help you test
your understanding of pronunciation guidelines.

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Abbreviations and Symbols
• Used to save time, space, & paperwork
• Abbreviation: a way of shortening words or phrases
• Symbol: object or sign that represents word or phrase
Examples:
ABO, CSF, ICU, MCH, STAT, Trig
+, -, =, > #, @, &

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The Joint Commission’s “Do Not Use” List
• Minimum list of dangerous
abbreviations, symbols, &
acronyms
• Abbreviations that can
lead to medical errors
For example, “IU” can be
mistaken for “IV” or “10”
Personnel must write
“international unit,”
instead.
According to a September 2013 article
in the Journal of Patient Safety, it is
estimated that between 210,000 and
400,000 deaths in the United States
each year are caused by preventable
medical errors.

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The Joint Commission’s “Do Not Use” List
The True/False activity in Knowledge Drill 4-3 in the WORKBOOK will
help you test your overall knowledge of this chapter.

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NAACLS Entry Level Competencies Met in
This Chapter
• 1.00 Demonstrate knowledge of the healthcare delivery
system and medical terminology.
• 1.7 Use common medical terminology.

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Questions?