Medical Terminology For Medical Assistants Part 2

Front 1

Anatomy (ah-NAT-oh-mee)

Back 1

is the study of the structures of the body.

Front 2

Physiology (fiz-ee-OL-oh-jee)

Back 2

is the study of the functions of these structures.

Front 3

Body Directions

Back 3

The relative location of sections of the body or of an organ can be described through the use of
pairs of contrasting, or opposite, body direction terms.

Front 4

Ventral (VEN-tral)

BODY DIRECTIONS front & back

Back 4

refers to the front or belly side of the body or organ
(ventr means belly side of the body and –al means pertaining to).

Front 5

Dorsal (DOR-sal)

BODY DIRECTIONS front & back

Back 5

refers to the back of the body or organ
(dors means back of the body and –al means pertaining to).

Front 6

Anterior (an-TEER-ee-or)

BODY DIRECTIONS front & back

Back 6

means situated in the front. It also means on the forward part of an organ
(anter means front or before and –ior means pertaining to).
For example, the stomach is located anterior to (in front of) the pancreas. Anterior is also used in reference to the ventral surface of the body.

Front 7

Posterior
(pos-TEER-ee-or)

BODY DIRECTIONS front & back

Back 7

means
situated in the back. It also means on the
back part of an organ
(poster means back or after and –ior means pertaining to).
For example, the pancreas is located posterior to (behind) the stomach. Posterior is also used in reference to the dorsal
surface of the body.

Front 8

Superior

upper & lower

Back 8

means uppermost, above, or
toward the head.
For example, the lungs are located superior
to (above) the diaphragm.

Front 9

Inferior

upper & lower

Back 9

means lowermost, below, or
toward the feet.
For example the stomach is located inferior
to (below) the diaphragm.

Front 10

Cephalic
(seh-FAL- ick)

upper & lower

Back 10

means toward the
head (cephal means head and –ic means
pertaining to).

Front 11

Caudal
(KAW-dal)

upper & lower

Back 11

means toward the
lower part of the body (caud means tail or
lower part of the body and –al means
pertaining to).

Front 12

Proximal
(PROCK-sih-mal)

in the middle

Back 12

means situated
nearest the midline or beginning of a body
structure.
For example, the proximal end of the
humerus (the bone of the upper arm) forms
part of the shoulder.

Front 13

Distal
(DIS-tal)

in the middle

Back 13

means situated farthest
from the midline or beginning of a body
structure.
For example, the distal end of the humerus
forms part of the elbow.

Front 14

Medial
(ME-dee-yal)

in the middle

Back 14

means the direction
toward or nearer the midline.
For example, the medial ligament of the knee
is near the inner surface of the leg.

Front 15

Lateral
(LA-te-ral)

in the middle

Back 15

means the direction
toward or nearer the side and away from the
midline.
For example, the lateral ligament of the
knee is near the side of the leg. Bilateral
means relating to, or having, two sides.

Front 16

body cavity

Back 16

is a space within the body that contains and protects the internal organs.

Front 17

dorsal cavity

Back 17

located in the skull and within the spinal column, is divided into two parts.
Dorsal means pertaining to the back. They both protect the structures of the nervous system: cranial cavity & spinal cavity

Front 18

cranial cavity

Back 18

which is located within the skull, protects the brain.

Front 19

spinal cavity

Back 19

which is located within the spinal column, protects the spinal cord.

Front 20

ventral cavity

Back 20

located in the front of the body. It is divided into three parts and contains
many of the body organs that maintain homeostasis

Front 21

Homeostasis
(hoh-mee-oh-STAY-sis)

Back 21

means maintaining a constant internal environment (home/o means constant and –stasis means
control).

Front 22

thoracic cavity
(thoh-RAS-ick)

Back 22

also known as the chest cavity or thorax, protects
the heart and the lungs.

Front 23

diaphragm

Back 23

is a muscle that separates the thoracic and
abdominal cavities.

Front 24

abdominal cavity
(ab-DOM-ih-nal)

Back 24

which contains primarily the major organs of
digestion, is frequently referred to simply as the abdomen (ab-DOH-men or AB-dohmen)

Front 25

pelvic cavity
(PEL- vick)

Back 25

is the space formed by the pelvic (hip) bones. It contains
primarily the organs of the reproductive and excretory systems.

Front 26

abdominopelvic (ab-dom- ih-noh-PEL-vick) cavity

Back 26

(abdomin/o
means abdomen, pelv, means pelvis, and -ic means pertaining to)

There is no physical division between the abdominal and pelvic cavities. Together, they
are referred to as the abdominopelvic cavity

Front 27

abdominopelvic (ab-dom- ih-noh-PEL-vick) cavity

Back 27

(abdomin/o
means abdomen, pelv, means pelvis, and -ic means pertaining to)

There is no physical division between the abdominal and pelvic cavities. Together, they
are referred to as the abdominopelvic

Front 28

quadrant

Back 28

means divided into four.

Front 29

right and left hypochondriac regions (high-poh-KON-dree-ack)

Back 29

located on the
sides and are covered by the lower ribs. As used here, hypochondriac means below the
ribs (hypo- means below and chondr/i- means cartilage and –ac means pertaining to).
This term also means an individual with an abnormal concern about his or her health
because, according to ancient lore, this region below the ribs was the seat of
hypochondria.

Front 30

epigastric region (ep- ih-GAS-trick)

Back 30

is located above the stomach

Front 31

right and left lumbar regions (LUM-bar)

Back 31

are located on the sides near the inward
curve of the spine.

Front 32

umbilical region (um-BILL- ih-kal)

Back 32

surrounds the umbilicus (um-BILL-ih-kus).
Also known as the belly button or navel, this pit in the center of the abdominal wall
marks the point where the umbilical cord was attached to the fetus.

Front 33

right and left iliac regions (ILL-ee-ack)

Back 33

are located on the sides over the hipbones.

Front 34

hypogastric (high-poh-GAS-trick)

Back 34

region is located below the stomach.

Front 35

inguinal (ING-gwih-nal)

Back 35

means pertaining to the groin, refers to the entire lower
portion of the abdomen.

Front 36

peritoneum
(pehr- ih-toh-NEE-um)

Back 36

a multilayered membrane that protects and holds the
organs in place within the abdominal cavity

Front 37

membrane

Back 37

a thin layer of tissue that covers a
surface, lines a cavity, or divides a space or organ

Front 38

parietal peritoneum (pah-RYE-eh-tal pehr- ih-toh-NEE-um)

Peritoneum

Back 38

is the outer layer of
the peritoneum, and it lines the abdominal wall. Parietal means cavity wall

Front 39

visceral peritoneum (VIS-er-al pehr- ih-toh-NEE-um)

Peritoneum

Back 39

is the inner layer of the
peritoneum, and it surrounds the organs of the abdominal cavity. Visceral means relating
to the internal organs.

Front 40

mesentery (MESS-en-terr-ee)

Peritoneum

Back 40

is a fused double layer of the parietal peritoneum that
attaches parts of the intestine to the interior abdominal wall.

Front 41

retroperitoneal (ret-roh-pehr- ih-tol-NEE-al)

Peritoneum

Back 41

means located behind the
peritoneum, (retro- means behind, periton means peritoneum, and –eal means pertaining to)

Front 42

Peritonitis (pehr- ih-toh-NIGH-tis)

Peritoneum

Back 42

is inflammation of the peritoneum (periton means
peritoneum and –itis means inflammation).

Front 43

tissue

Back 43

a group or layer of similarly specialized cells that join together to perform certain
specific functions

Front 44

Histology
(hiss-TOL-oh-jee)

Back 44

the study of the structure, composition, and function of
tissues (hist means tissue and –ology means a study of).

Front 45

histologist (hiss-TOL-oh-jist)

Back 45

a specialist in the study the organization of tissues at
all levels (hist means tissue and –ologist means specialist).

Front 46

Types of Tissue

Back 46

four main types of tissue are epithelial, connective, muscle, and nerve.

Front 47

Epithelial tissues (ep-ih-THEE- lee-al)

Back 47

form a protective covering for all of the internal
and external surfaces of the body.

Front 48

Epithelium (ep-ih-THEE- lee-um)

Back 48

the specialized epithelial tissue that forms the
epidermis of the skin and the surface layer of mucous membranes.

Front 49

Glands

Back 49

a group of specialized epithelial cells that form secretions.

The two types of glands are exocrine and endocrine glands.

Front 50

secretion

Back 50

is the
substance produced by a gland

Front 51

organ

Back 51

a somewhat independent part of the body that performs a special function or
functions. The tissues and organs of the body are organized into systems that perform specialized
functions:

Front 52

Skeletal System

Back 52

Major Structures
bones, joints, cartilage, ligaments


Major Functions
Supports and shapes the body. Protects the
internal organs. Forms some blood cells and
stores minerals.

Front 53

Cardiovascular System

Back 53

Major Structures
heart, arteries, veins, blood
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Blood circulates throughout the body to
transport oxygen and nutrients to cells, and
to carry waste products to the kidneys
where the waste is removed by filtration.

Front 54

Lymphatic and Immune Systems

Back 54

Major Structures
lymph, lymph vessels and lymph nodes, tonsils, spleen, thymus, specialized blood cells
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Protects the body from harmful substances.
Brings oxygen and nutrients to cells.
Removes waste from the cells.

Front 55

Respiratory System

Back 55

Major Structures
nose, pharynx, trachea, larynx, lungs
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Brings oxygen into the body for
transportation to the cells. Removes carbon
dioxide and some water waste from the
body.

Front 56

Digestive System

Back 56

Major Structures
mouth, esophagus, small intestines, large intestines, liver, pancreas
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Digests ingested food so it can be absorbed
into the bloodstream. Eliminates solid
wastes.

Front 57

Urinary System

Back 57

Major Structures
kidneys, ureters, urinary bladder, urethra
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Filters blood to remove waste. Maintains
the electrolyte and fluid balance within the
body.

Front 58

Nervous System

Back 58

Major Structures
nerves, brain, spinal cord
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Coordinates the reception of stimuli.
Transmits messages throughout the body.

Front 59

Special Senses

Back 59

Major Structures
eyes, ears
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Receive visual and auditory information and
transmit it to the brain.

Front 60

Integumentary

Back 60

Major Structures
skin, sebaceous glands, sweat glands
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Protects the body against invasion by
bacteria. Regulates the body temperature
and water content.

Front 61

Endocrine System

Back 61

MAJOR STRUCTURES
adrenals, gonads, pancreas, parathyroids, thymus, pineal
pituitary, thyroid
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Integrates all body functions.

Front 62

Reproductive
System

Back 62

Male:
penis, testicles
Female:
vagina, ovaries, uterus
MAJOR FUNCTIONS
Produces new life.

Front 63

Pathology (pah-THOL-oh-jee)

Back 63

is the study of structural and functional changes caused by
disease (path/o and –pathy mean disease; however, they also mean suffering, feeling and
emotion). Pathology also means a condition caused by disease.

Front 64

pathologist (pah-THOL-oh-jist)

Back 64

specializes in the laboratory analysis of tissue
samples to confirm or establish a diagnosis (path means disease and –ologist means
specialist).

Front 65

Postmortem

Back 65

means after death and a postmortem examination
is also known as an autopsy (AW-top-see)

Front 66

Etiology (ee-tee-OL-oh-jee)

Back 66

is the study of the causes of diseases (eti- means cause and –
ology means study of).

Front 67

communicable disease (kuh-MEW-nih-kuh-bul)

Back 67

also known as a contagious
disease, is any disease transmitted from one person to another either by direct contact or
indirectly by contact with contaminated objects.

Front 68

Contaminated

Back 68

a pathogen is
possibly present. Contamination may occur through a lack of proper hygiene standards,
such as hand washing, or by failure to take appropriate precautions.

Front 69

Bloodborne transmission

Back 69

through contact with blood or body fluids that are
contaminated with blood. Examples of bloodborne transmission are human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis B, and most sexually transmitted diseases
(STDs).