Building Medical Vocabulary Peggy Leonard

Front 1

Greek roots vs Latin Roots

Back 1

as a general rule Latin roots are used to write words naming and describing structures of the body whereas Greek roots are used to write words naming and describing diseases, conditions, diagnosis and treatment

Front 2

prefix

Back 2

a prefix is a word part that is placed before a word root to modify its meaning.

PERI-

Front 3

anhydrous

Back 3

an-without
-dydrous water

Front 4

sub

Back 4

below
less than

subnormal-less than normal

Front 5

suffix

Back 5

a suffix is attached to the end of a word or word part to modify its meaning.

Front 6

carditis

Back 6

card/o heart
-itis inflamation

carditis means inflammation of the heart.

Front 7

dyspnea is composed of a prefix and a suffix

Back 7

dys- means bad, painful or difficult

pnea means breathing

Front 8

cephal(o)

Back 8

head

Front 9

opththalm(o)

Back 9

eye

Front 10

ot(o)

Back 10

ear

Front 11

card(o)

Back 11

Heart

Front 12

Chir(o)

Back 12

hand

Front 13

angi(o) or vas()

Back 13

vessel as in blood vessel

Front 14

-itis

Back 14

inflammation

Front 15

-logy

Back 15

study of

Front 16

-plasty

Back 16

to repair

Front 17

-rrhea

Back 17

flow or discharge

Front 18

-tomy

Back 18

incision

Front 19

carp(o)

Back 19

pertaining to the wrist

Front 20

aort(o)

Back 20

pertaining to the aorta the large blood (main trunk) from which the arterial blood flow proceeds

Front 21

tonsillitis

Back 21

inflammation of the tonsils
The tonsils are two clumps of tissue, on either side of the throat, embedded in a pocket at the side of the palate (roof of the mouth). The lower edge of each tonsil is beside the tongue...way in the back of the throat. The adenoids are a single clump of tissue in the back of the nose (nasopharynx). They are located (in the adult) on the back wall of the throat (pharynx)...about one inch above the uvula (the little teardrop shaped piece of tissue that hangs down in the middle of the soft palate).

Front 22

abbreviations
3 types

Back 22

letters-as in CBC
Shortened words as in STAT from the Latin statim meaning at once
Acronyms pronounceable words formed from initial letters ie cabbage

Front 23

Pharmacology

Back 23

is the study of the preparation, properties and actions of drugs Drugs are used to prevent, diagnose and treat disease and to relieve pain

Front 24

-er and -ist

Back 24

mean "one who"
practitioner
specialist

Front 25

-ology

-ologist

Back 25

the study of

one who studies

Front 26

-iatrics

-iarty

Back 26

medical specialty or profession
or a medical treatment

Front 27

-iatrician

Back 27

pracitioner

Front 28

-ac
-al
-ic
-logic
-logical

Back 28

all mean pertaining to

Front 29

medicine

Back 29

-drug or remedy for illness
-the art and science of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease

Front 30

traditional medicine

Back 30

see the person as composites of of physical, social, spiritual, emotional and intellectual needs

Front 31

holistic

Back 31

considers the human as a functioning whole. In illness the components interact and influence one anther.

Front 32

crin

Back 32

to secrete

Front 33

esthesi

Back 33

feeling or sensation

Front 34

ger(a)
ger(o)
gereont(o)

Back 34

elderly

Front 35

gynec(o)

Back 35

female

Front 36

immun(o)

Back 36

immune

Front 37

ne(o)
nate(o)

Back 37

new
birth

Front 38

obstertr

Back 38

means midwife but has come to mean delivery

Front 39

ophthalm(o)

Back 39

eye

Front 40

orth(o)

ped(o)

Back 40

straight

child