Nath Umt Chapter Two - Anatomical & Physiological Terminology - Word Etymology

Front 1

cauda

Back 1

tail

Hint 1

Caudad: Toward the feet (or, in embryology, toward the tail), as opposed to cranial. The spinal cord is caudad to the brain.

Caudal: An anatomic term meaning 1. Pertaining to the tail or the hind part. 2. Situated in or directed toward the tail or hind part. 3. Inferior to another structure, in the sense of being below it.

Caudal is also short for caudal epidural anesthesia.

The terms caudal and caudad are both derived from the Latin cauda, tail.

Front 2

distalis

Back 2

distal

Hint 2

Distal: The more (or most) distant of two (or more) things. For example, the distal end of the femur (the thigh bone) is the end down by the knee; the end more distant from the torso. The distal bile duct is the far end of the cystic duct, the end away from the gallbladder. And the distal lymph node in a chain of nodes is the most distant one. The opposite of distal is proximal.

Front 3

dorsum

Back 3

back
The back or posterior side of a structure.
The opposite is ventrum

Hint 3

Dorsum: The back or posterior side of a structure. "Dorsum" is the Latin word for the back. Something pertaining to the dorsum is dorsal.

The dorsal surface of the hand is the back of the hand, the side opposite the palm.

The dorsal surface of the foot is the back of the foot, the side opposite the sole.

The dorsal vertebrae are the thoracic vertebrae; they form part of the back.

The dorsal roots of the spinal nerves are the back roots, the posterior roots.

The opposite of dorsum is ventrum which comes from the Latin "venter" meaning belly. Something that is ventral is oriented toward the belly, toward the front of the body.

Front 4

inguen

Back 4

groin

Hint 4

Inguinal: Having to do with the groin.

Front 5

karpos

Back 5

wrist

Hint 5

Wrist: The proximal segment (the near part) of the hand consisting of the carpal bones and the associated soft parts.

The eight carpal bones are arranged in two rows and articulate (come together to form a joint) proximally (on their near ends) with the long bones of the forearm -- the radius and, indirectly, with the ulna -- and distally (on their far ends) with the five metacarpal bones that make up the palm's infrastructure.

Front 6

lumbus

Back 6

loin
The portion of the lower back from just below the rib cage to the pelvis.

Hint 6

Loin: The portion of the lower back from just below the rib cage to the pelvis. The loins include the psoas muscles which are very powerful muscles in the lower back.

The term "loin" is more often encountered now at the meat counter than in medicine. It is also commonly encountered in the Bible, as in "Gird up now thy loins like a man." (Job 38:3). The word "loin" came from the Latin "lumbus" which referred to the present day loin + the genitalia.

Front 7

mentum

Back 7

chin

Hint 7

Mentum: Medical term for the chin. From Latin.
Chin: Medically, the mentum. The lower portion of the face below the lower lip including the prominence of the lower jaw and the line of fusion of the two separate halves of the jawbone (mandible). This line of fusion (called the symphysis menti) encloses a triangular area at tip of the chin (termed the mental protuberance). On each side, below the second premolar tooth, is the mental foramen, an opening for the passage of blood vessels and a nerve that supply the chin.

Front 8

stasis

Back 8

standing still

Front 9

systema

Back 9

organized whole

Front 10

typus

Back 10

type

Front 11

umbilicus

Back 11

navel

Front 12

distal

Back 12

The more (or most) distant of two (or more) things. The opposite of proximal.

Hint 12

Distal: The more (or most) distant of two (or more) things. For example, the distal end of the femur (the thigh bone) is the end down by the knee; the end more distant from the torso. The distal bile duct is the far end of the cystic duct, the end away from the gallbladder. And the distal lymph node in a chain of nodes is the most distant one. The opposite of distal is proximal.

Front 13

dorsal

Back 13

Relating to the back or postterior of a structure. As opposed to the ventral.
i.e. back, buttocks, calves, and the knuckle side of the hand.

Hint 13

Dorsal: Relating to the back or postterior of a structure. As opposed to the ventral, or front, of the structure. Some of the dorsal surfaces of the body are the back, buttocks, calves, and the knuckle side of the hand.