This document provides an overview of the objectives and content covered in a medical terminology course. The objectives include identifying word parts that make up medical terms, spelling terms correctly, and understanding basic anatomy and body systems. The document defines prefixes, roots, suffixes, and combining forms. It also explains how medical terms are constructed by combining word parts and provides examples of common prefixes, roots, suffixes, body systems, and cavities.

1. Charter College T.Miller 7/2017

2. Week 1 Objectives
 Identify the roles of the four types of word parts in forming
medical terms.
 Describe the importance of spelling medical terms correctly.
 Define commonly used prefixes, word roots, combining forms,
and suffixes introduced in the course.
 Identify and demonstrate use of the approved abbreviations
used within the medical record.
 Demonstrate a basic understanding of the body systems and
how they work.

3. Hysterosalpingo-oopherectomy
WHAT???
This is a real medical term, and I promise you that you will understand
how putting the word parts together can form words like this one, and I also
promise you that you will be able to understand these words by the end of this
course!

4. Terminology Introduction
 This is an introduction to medical vocabulary.
 Topics include :
• definitions
• spelling
• pronunciation
• prefixes and suffixes
• combining forms.
• plurals

5.  Medical terminology is made up of the terms that describe human anatomy
and physiology (body organs, systems and their functions), body locations,
diseases, diagnostic imaging and laboratory testing, together with clinical
procedures, surgeries and diagnoses.
 It’s important for every one of these things to have a specific name – just like
you have your own unique name – because otherwise medical professionals
would not be able to communicate effectively or clearly with one another.
 The beauty of medical terminology is that it makes our communication more to
the point. A medical term usually describes in one word a disease or condition
that would normally take several words to describe. For example,
appendectomy is a one word medical term that means “surgical removal of the
appendix”.
 Medical terminology’s foundation is based both in Greek and Latin origin, with
most medical terms made up of Latin origins. The first medical dictionary
appeared in the 1830’s.

6. Word Building
 Medical words are composed of word parts that
generally have Greek or Latin origins. Although
familiarity with these two languages would simplify
medical terminology, it definitely is not necessary.
 We can determine the literal meaning of an unfamiliar
term by knowing the meaning of it’s word parts.
 Medical words are composed of word roots, combining
forms, prefixes and suffixes.

7. Terminology Word Parts
There are four word parts you will need to know:
1. Prefix
Appears at the beginning of a word
Tells the how, why, where, when, how much, how many, position,
direction, time or status
2. Root Word
Specifies the body part to which the term refers
3. Combining Form/Vowel
A combining vowel (usually o or i) that connects word parts
together
4. Suffix
Appears at the end of a word
Indicates a procedure, condition or disease

8. Root Words
 We have learned that medical words are composed of
word roots, combining forms, prefixes and suffixes.
 Most words have a root word, even ordinary words.
The word root is the main body of the word. It is
usually accompanied by a prefix or a suffix, or both.
 Some compound words are composed of two word
roots, as in collarbone (collar and bone).

9. Combining Forms
 Many words would be difficult to pronounce if they
were written without a vowel to join the word roots.
 A vowel (usually “o”) is often inserted between word
roots to make the word easier to pronounce, as in
speed/o/meter. Speed/o is considered a combining
form because it is joined with another part of the
word, meter.
 In cephal/o/meter, the word roots are and
.
cephal and meter

10. Prefixes
 A prefix is placed before a word to modify its meaning.
When written alone, a prefix is usually followed by a
hyphen (as in peri-). In anhydrous, an- is a prefix that
means without. Hydrous means related to water. If
we put the word together, it means “without water”.
 In the word subnormal, sub- is the prefix that means
below. So, subnormal means “below normal”.

11. Suffixes
 A suffix is attached to the end of a word or word part to
modify it’s meaning. Suffixes are joined to combining
forms to write nouns, adjectives, and verbs. A suffix
written alone is usually preceded by a hyphen,
indicating another word part precedes it.
 Carditis means inflammation of the heart. Card/o is
the word root and means heart; -itis is the suffix and
means inflammation.
 Occasionally a word is composed of only a prefix and a
suffix. Joining dys- and –pnea to write dypnea,
which means painful or difficult breathing.

12. Combining Word Parts
 Now that you have learned that medical terms are
composed of word roots, combining forms, prefixes and
suffixes, you will learn to combine these word parts to write
medical terms.
 We do not always use the vowel that is at the end of a
combining form. A rule that will help you in writing
medical terms is this: The combining vowel is used before
suffixes that begin with a consonant and before another
word root. Of course there are exceptions to this rule
 The combining vowel is also used to join two combining
forms. Combine gastr/o (stomach) and enter/o
(intestine) with the suffix –ology (the study of).
. Gastroenterology

13. Prefixes
The beginning of some words: Examples of Words:
 dys- pain or difficult Dysuria
 hyper- above, excessive Hypertension
 hypo- below Hypotension
 Post- coming after, behind Postnatal
 tachy- fast Tachycardia
 brady- slow Bradychardia
 epi- above, upon, on Epigastric, Epidural
 quad- four Quadriceps

14. Root Words with Combining Forms
Root words with combining form: Examples of Words:
 Cardi/o Heart Cardiovascular, Cardiomegaly
 Hepat/o Liver Hepatic
 Gastr/o Stomach Gastritis, Gastroenterologist
 Pneum/o Air, Lung Pneumonia
 Gynec/o Female Gynecomastia
 Bronch/o Lungs Bronchitis, Bronchodilators
 Abdomin/o Abdomen Abdominoplasty
 Enter/o Intestines Enteritis, Enterolith
 Pulmon/o Lung Pulmonologist
 Arthr/o Joint Arthritis, Arthroscopy
 Crani/o Skull Craniofacial, Craniological
 Ur/o Urinary Tract, Urine Urologist, Ureter
 Neur/o Nerves Neuroblastoma, Neurfibroma
 Vascul/o Blood, Blood Vessels Vascularity
 My/o Muscle Myoblast
 Sarc/o Flesh Sarcoma, Sarcoidosis
 Kyph/o Humped, Thoracic Curvature Kyphosis
 Lamin/o Lamina (part of the vertebral arch) Laminectomy
 Lord/o Curve of the lumbar spine Lordosis
 Lumb/o Lower back, lumbar region Lumbar Vertebrae
 Myel/o Bone marrow Myeloblastoma
 Oste/o Bone Osteopathy, Osteoporosis
 Orth/o Straight Orthopedic
 Scoli/o Curvature of the Spine, Twisted Scoliosis

15. Suffixes
The ending of words: Examples of Words:
 -itis inflammation Carditis, Arthritis
 -ectomy surgical removal Cholecystectomy
 -ology study of Gynecology, Oncology
 -algia pain Gastralgia, Fibromyalgia
 -osis condition Cyanosis, Diverticulosis
 -rrhea flow, discharge Menorrhea, Diarrhea
 -plasty surgical repair Rhinoplasty
 -centesis surgical puncture Amniocentesis, Arthrocentesis
 -scopy visual exam with scope Cystoscopy, Hysteroscopy
 -malacia softening Osteomalacia,
 -megaly enlargement Cardiomegly, Hepatomegaly
 -cyte cell Oocyte
 -trophy nourishment, development Hypertrophy
 (condition of)
 -rrhaphy surgical suturing Colporrhaphy
 -dynia pain Vulvodynia

16. Body Systems
We will be learning each of these systems and the medical terms that go with
these systems in this course.
• The Skeletal System
 Bones, Ligaments, Cartilage, Tendons
 A framework to protect soft tissue, attaches to
muscles and produces blood cells
• The Muscular System
 Muscles
 Causes Movement, Produces Body Heat
• The Cardiovascular System
 Heart, Blood Vessels
 Moves Blood and Transports Substances

17. • The Digestive System
 Mouth, Pharynx, Esophagus, Stomach, Gallbladder, Pancreas,
Small and Large Intestine
 Receive, Breakdown and Absorb Food, Elimination
• The Urinary System
 Kidneys, Ureters, Urinary Bladder, Urethra
 Removes Waste from the Blood, Maintains
water and electrolyte
 Balance, Stores and Transports Urine
• The Respiratory System
 Nasal Cavity, Pharynx, Larynx, Trachea, Lungs
 Controls Input and Output of Air,
Gas Exchange

18. • The Nervous System
 Brain, Spinal Cord, Nerves, Sense Organs
 Detects Changes, Receives and Interprets
Sensory Information, Stimulates Muscles
and Glands
• The Integumentary System
 Skin, Hair, Nails, Sweat Glands
 Protects, regulate temperature
 Sensory receptors
• The Endocrine System
 Glands that Secrete Hormones
 Controls metabolism

19. Body Cavities
 Cranial Cavity
Contains the brain within the skull
 Thoracic Cavity
Contains the heart, lungs, thymus gland, trachea, esophagus
and numerous blood vessels and nerves
 The Abdominal Cavity
Separated from the thoracic cavity by the diaphragm
Contains the stomach, intestines, liver, spleen, pancreas and
kidneys
 The Pelvic Cavity
Contains the urinary bladder, part of the large intestine,
rectum, anus and reproductive organs
 The Spinal Cavity
Contains the spinal cord

20. Body Cavities
 Body cavities are spaces within the body
that contain vital organs.
 The two major cavities in the body are
the dorsal and ventral cavities.
▫ The dorsal cavity is a long, continuous
cavity located on the back of the body.
▫ The ventral cavity is located on the front
side of the body.

21. Dorsal Cavity
 The dorsal cavity is divided into two
sections:
▫ The cranial cavity contains the brain.
▫ The spinal cavity contains the spinal
cord.

22. Ventral Cavity
The ventral cavity is divided into
three sections:
The thoracic cavity
contains the trachea,
esophagus, bronchi, lungs,
heart, and major blood vessels.
It is also known as the chest cavity.
The abdominal cavity contains the
stomach, small intestine, most
of the large intestine, liver,
gallbladder, pancreas, and
spleen.
 The pelvic cavity contains the reproductive
organs, bladder, and rectum.

23. Small Body Cavities
The orbital cavity contains the eye
structures.
The nasal cavity contains the parts
that form the nose.
The oral cavity, or buccal cavity,
contains the teeth and the tongue
in the mouth.

24. Abdominal Regions: Quadrants
 Because the abdominal cavity is so
large, it helps to divide it into regions.
 We medically divide the body into
quadrants, or four regions:
▫ Right upper quadrant (RUQ)
▫ Left upper quadrant (LUQ)
▫ Right lower quadrant (RLQ)
▫ Left lower quadrant (LLQ)

25. Abdominal Regions: Nine Regions
 Another method of dividing the abdominal
cavity results in nine regions:
▫ Epigastric – above the stomach
▫ Umbilical – near the umbilicus
▫ Hypogastric – below the stomach
▫ Left Hypochondriac – below the ribs, left side
▫ Right Hypochondriac – below the ribs, right side
▫ Left Lumbar – near the waist, left side
▫ Right Lumbar – near the waist, right side
▫ Left Iliac – near the hips, left side
▫ Right Iliac – near the hips, right side

26. Body System Terminology
Root Terms
Cardi/o Pneumo/o
Hepat/o Thorac/o
Dermat/o Arthr/o
Gastr/o Gynec/o
Bronch/o Crani/o
Abdomin/o Ur/o
Enter/o Neur/o
Pulmon/o Vascul/o

27. Body System Terminology
Prefixes and Suffixes
Dys- -megaly
-rrhea -sclerosis
-ectomy Hyper-
-plasty -malacia
Brady- -scopy
Hypo- Tachy-
-rrhea -centesis
-algia -itis

28. Anatomic References
Body Direction
 Health care workers need to be able to
clearly identify areas of the body.
They must do so in order to correctly
apply treatments, injections, and diagnoses.
 Such directional terms are based on
anatomical position. In this position,
the body is upright and facing forward,
with the arms at the sides and the palms
toward the front.

29. Body Planes
 Body planes are imaginary lines
drawn through the body. They separate
the body into sections and are used to
create directional terms.
 The three body planes are:
▫ Transverse
▫ Midsagittal
▫ Frontal

30. Transverse Plane and Related
Directional Terms
 The transverse plane is horizontal
and divides the body into a top half and
a bottom half.
▫ Body parts above other parts are
called superior.
▫ Body parts below other body parts are
called inferior.
 Two other terms related to this
plane also refer to direction.
▫ Cranial refers to body parts toward
the head.
▫ Caudal refers to body parts toward the
lower end of the spine or feet.

31. Midsaggital Plane and Related
Directional Terms
 The midsaggital plane is also known
as the median plane or the midline.
 The midsaggital plane is vertical and divides
the body into equal right and left halves.
▫ Body parts toward this plane are
called medial.
▫ Body parts away from this plane are
called lateral

32. Frontal Plane and Related
Directional Terms
 The frontal plane is also known as the
coronal plane.
 The frontal plane is vertical.
 It divides the body into front and back sections.
▫ Body parts toward the front section
are called ventral, or anterior.
▫ Body parts toward the back section
are called dorsal, or posterior.

33. Other Directional Terms
 Two other terms are used to describe the
location of a body part in relation to the point
of attachment, or point of reference.
▫ Body parts toward the point of
attachment are called proximal.
▫ Body parts distant from this point
are called distal.

34. Other Anatomical Directional Terms:
 Anterior: In front of, front
Posterior: After, behind, following, toward the rear
 Superior: Above, over
Inferior: Below, under
 Lateral: Toward the side, away from the mid-line
Medial: Toward the mid-line, middle, away from the side
 Bilateral: Involving both sides of the body
Unilateral: Involving one side of the body
 Parietal: Relating to a body cavity wall
Visceral: Relating to organs within body cavities
 Axial: Around a central axis
Intermediate: Between two structures
 Ipsilateral: On the same side of the body
Contralateral: On opposite sides of the body

36. Hysterosalpingo-oopherectomy
 Let’s break it down:
Hyster/o (uterus) +
salping/o (fallopian tubes) +
oo (egg/ovary) +
pherectomy (surgical removal).
Now, back to the word I introduced at
the beginning of this lesson:
So, the word means: surgical removal of the uterus,
fallopian tubes and ovaries.