Medical Terminology (rev. 7/08)
As an EMT, you will probably never have to use more than a few medical terms in the course of your pre-hospital emergency care activities. and most of them will probably deal with parts of the body. Physicians and nurses prefer EMTs to speak in other than medical terms. But if you are an avid reader, much of what you read is likely to be freely sprinkled with medical terms, and if you cannot translate them you may not understand what you are reading.
Medical terms are comprised of words, word roots, combining forms, prefixes, and suffixes-all little words, if you will, and each with its own definition.
Sometimes medical terms are made up of two whole words. For example, the word SMALL is joined with the word POX to form the medical term SMALLPOX, the name of a disease. Would that it were all so simple!
Word roots are the foundations of words and are not used by themselves. THERM is a word root that means heat; to use it alone would make no sense. But when a vowel is added to the end of the word root to make it the combining form THERM/O, it can be joined with other words or word roots to form a compound term. THERM/O and METER (an instrument for measuring) combine to form THERMOMETER, an instrument for measuring heat or temperature.
More than one word root or combining form can be joined to form medical terms; ELECTROCARDIOGRAM is a good example. ELECTR/O (electric) is joined to CARDI (heart) and the suffix -GRAM (a written record) to form the medical term that means a written record of the heart's electrical activity.
Prefixes are used to modify or qualify the meaning of word roots. They usually tell the reader what kind of where (or in what direction), or how many.
The term -PNEA relates to breathing, but it says nothing about the quality or kind of breathing. Adding the prefix DYS- qualifies it as difficult breathing.
ABDOMINAL PAIN is a rather broad term; it gives the reader no clue as to exactly where the pain is located either inside or outside the abdomen.
Adding the prefix -INTRA to ABDOMINAL pinpoints the location of the pain, for INTRA-ABDOMINAL
PAIN means pain within the abdomen. -PLEGIA refers to paralysis of the limbs. The prefix QUADRI informs the reader as to how many limbs are paralyzed. QUADRIPLEGIA means paralysis of all four limbs.
Suffixes are word endings that form nouns, adjectives, or verbs. Medical terms can have more than one suffix, and a suffix can appear in the middle of a compound term affixed to a combining form. A number of suffixes have specialized meanings. ITIS means inflammation; thus ARTHRITIS means inflammation of a joint. -IAC forms a noun indicating a person afflicted with a certain disease, as for example, HEMOPHILIAC.
Some suffixes are joined to word roots to form terms that indicates a state, quality, condition, procedure, or process. PNEUMONIA and PSORIASIS are examples of medical conditions, while APPENDECTOMY and ARTHROSCOPY are examples of medical procedures. The suffixes in each case are underlined.
Some suffixes combine with word roots to form adjectives, words that modify nouns by indicating quality or quantity or by distinguishing one thing from another. GASTRIC, CARDIAC, FIBROUS, ARTHRTIC, and DIAPHORETIC are all examples of adjectives formed by adding suffixes (underlined) to word roots.
Some suffixes are added to word roots to express reduction in size, -OLE and -ULE, for example. An ARTERIOLE is smaller than an ARTERY, and a VENULE is smaller than a vein.
When added to word roots, -E and –IZE form verbs. EXCISE, and CATHETERIZE are examples.
Finally, some of what are commonly accepted as suffixes are actually the combination of a word root and a suffix. -MEGALY (enlargement) results from the combination of the word root MEGAL (large) and the suffix -Y (which forms the term into a noun). CARDIOMEGALY means enlargement of the heart.
STANDARD TERMS
The following terms are used to denote direction of movement, position, and anatomical posture.
abduction movement away from the body's midline.
adduction movement toward the body's midline.
afferent conducting toward a structure.
anterior the front surface of the body.
anterior to in front of.
caudad toward the tail.
cephalad toward the head.
circumduction circular movement of a part.
craniad toward the cranium.
deep situated remote from the surface.
distal situated away from the point of origin.
dorsal pertaining to the back surface of the body.
dorsiflexion bending backward.
efferent conducting away from a structure.
elevation raising a body part.
extension stretching, or moving jointed parts into or toward a straight condition.
external situated outside.
flexion bending, or moving jointed parts closer together.
inferior situated below.
internal situated inside.
laterad toward the side of the body.
lateral situated away from the body's midline.
lateral rotation rotating outward away from the body's midline.
left lateral recumbent lying horizontal on the left side.
mediad toward the midline of the body.
medial situated toward the body's midline.
medial rotation rotating inward toward the bodY'1 midline.
palmar concerning the inner surface of the hand.
peripheral away from a central structure.
plantar concerning the sole of the foot.
posterior pertaining to the back surface of the body.
posterior to situated behind.
pronation lying face downward or turning the hand so the palm faces downward or backward.
prone lying horizontal, face down and flat.
protraction a pushing forward, as the mandible.
proximal situated nearest the point of origin.
recumbent lying horizontal, generally speaking.
retraction a drawing back, as the tongue.
right lateral recumbent lying horizontal on the right side.
rotation turning around an axis.
superficial situated near the surface.
superior situated above.
supination lying face upward or turning the hand so the palm faces forward or upward.
supine lying horizontal, flat on the back and face up.
ventral the front surface of the body.
PLANES
A plane is an imaginary flat surface that divides the body into sections.
coronal or frontal plane an imaginary plane that passes through the body from side to side and divides it into front and back sections.
midsagittal plane an imaginary plane that passes through the body from front to back and divides it into right and left halves.
sagittal plane an imaginary plane parallel to the median plane. It passes through the body from front to back and divides the body into right and left sections.
transverse plane an imaginary plane that passes through the body and divides it into upper and lower sections.
WORD PARTS
Prefixes are generally identified by a following dash (AMBI-). Combining forms have a slash and a vowel following the word root (ARTHR/O). Suffixes are generally identified by a preceding dash (-EMIA).
a- (not, without, lacking, deficient) afebrile, without fever.
ab- (away from) abduct, to draw away from the midline.
-able, -ible (capable of) reducible, capable of being reduced (as a fracture).
abdomin/o (abdomen) abdominal, pertaining to the abdomen.
ac- (to) acclimate, to become accustomed to.
acou (hear) acoustic, pertaining to sound or hearing.
acr/o (extremity, top, peak) acrodermatitis, inflammation of the skin of the extremities.
acu (needle) acupuncture, the Chinese practice of piercing specific peripheral nerves with needles to relieve the discomfort associated with painful disorders.
ad- (to, toward) adduct, to draw toward the midline.
aden/o (gland) adenitis, inflammation of a gland.
adip/o (fat) adipose, fatty; fat (in size).
aer/o (air) aerobic, requiring the presence of oxygen to live and grow.
af- (to) afferent, conveying toward.
ag- (to) aggregate, to crowd or cluster together.
-algesia (painful) hyperalgesia, overly sensitive to pain.
-algia (painful condition) neuralgia, pain that extends along the course of one or more nerves.
ambi- (both sides) ambidextrous, able to perform manual skills with both hands.
ambl/y (dim, dull, lazy) amblyopia, lazy eye.
amphi-, ampho- (on both sides, around both) amphigonadism, having both testicular and ovarian tis- sues.
amyl/o (starch) amyloid, starchlike.
an- (without) anemia, a reduced volume of blood cells.
ana- (upward, again, backward, excess)anaphylaxis, an unusual or exaggerated reaction of an organism to a substance to which it becomes sensitized.
andr/o (man, male) android, resembling a man.
angi/o (blood vessel. duct) angioplasiy, surgery of blood vessels.
ankyl/o (stiff) ankylosis, stiffness.
ant-, anti- (against, opposed to, preventing, relieving) antidote, a substance for counteracting a poison.
ante- (before, forward) antecubital, situated in front of the elbow.
antero- (front) anterolateral, situated in front and to one side.
ap- (to) approximate, to bring together; to place close to.
apo- (separation, derivation from) apoplexy, sudden neurologic impairment due to a cardiovascular disorder.
-arium, -orium (place for something) solarium, a place for the sun.
arteri/o (artery) arteriosclerosis, thickening of the walls of the smaller arteries.
arthrio (joint, articulation) arthritis, inflammation of a joint or joints.
articul/o (joint) articulated, united by joints.
as- (to) assimilate, to take into.
at- (to) attract, to draw toward.
audi/o (hearing) audiometer, an instrument to test the power of hearing.
aur/o (ear) auricle, the flap of the ear.
aut/o (self) autistic, self-centered
bi- (two, twice, double, both) bilateral, having two sides; pertaining to two sides.
bi/o (life) biology, the study of life.
blephario (eyelid) blepharitis, inflammation of the eyelid.
brachi/o (upper arm) brachialgia, pain in the upper arm.
brady- (slow) bradycardia, an abnormally slow heart rate.
bronch/o (larger air passages of the lungs) bronchitis, inflammation of the larger air passages of the lungs.
bucc/o (cheek) buccal, pertaining to the cheek.
cac/o (bad) cacosmis, a bad odor.
calc/o (bad) calculus, an abnormal hard inorganic mass such as a gallstone.
calcane/o (heel) calcaneus, the heel bone.
calor /o (heat) caloric, pertaining to heat.
cancr/o (cancer) cancroid, resembling cancer.
capit/o (head) capitates, head-shaped.
caps/o (container) capsulation, enclosed in a capsule or container.
carcin/o (cancer) carcinogen, a substance that causes cancer.
cardi/o (heart) cardiogenic, originating in the heart.
carp/o (wrist bone) carpal, pertaining to the wrist bone.
cat-, cata- (down, lower, under, against, along with) catabasis, the stage of decline of a disease.
-cele (tumor, hernia) hydrocele, a confined collection of water.
celi/o (abdomen) celiomyalgia, a pain in the muscles of the abdomen.
-centesis (perforation or tapping. as with a needle) abdominocentesis, surgical puncture of the abdominal cavity.
cephal/o (head) electroencephalogram, a recording of the electrical activity of the brain.
cerebr/o (cerebrum) cerebrospinal, pertaining to the brain and spinal fluid.
cervic /o (neck, cervix) cervical, pertaining to the neck (or cervix).
cheil/o, chil/o (lip) cheilitis, inflammation of the lips.
cheirio, chir/o (hand) cheiralgia, pain in the hand.
chlor/o (green) chloroma, green cancer. a greenish tumor associated with myelogenous leukemia.
chol/e (bile, gall) choledochitis, inflammation of the common bile duct.
chondr/o (cartilage) chondrodynia, pain in a cartilage.
chrom/o, chromat/o (color) monochromatic, being of one color.
chron/o (time) chronic, persisting for a long time.
-cid- (cut, kill, fall) insecticide, an agent that kills insects.
circum- (around) circumscribed, confined to a limited space.
-cis- (cut, kill, fall) excise, to cut out.
-clysis (irrigation) enteroclysis, irrigation of the small intestine.
co- (with) cohesion, the force that causes various particles to unite.
col- (with) collateral, secondary or accessory; a small side branch such as a blood vessel or nerve.
col/o (colon, large intestine) colitis, inflammation of the colon.
colp/o (vagina) colporrhagia, bleeding from the vagma.
com- (with) comminuted, broken or crushed into small pieces.
con- (with) congenital, existing from the time of birth.
contra- (against, opposite) contraindicated, inadvisable.
cor/e, core/o (pupil) corectopia, abnormal location of the pupil of the eye.
cost/o (rib) intercostal, between the ribs.
crani/o (skull) cranial, pertaining to the skull.
cry/o (eold) cryogenic, that which produces low temperature.
crypt/o (hide, cover, conceal) cryptogenic, of doubtful origin.
cyan/o (blue) cyanosis, bluish discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes.
cyst/o (urinary bladder, cyst, sac of fluid) cystitis, inflammation of the bladder.
-cyte (cell) leukocyte, white cell.
cyt/o (cell) cytoma, tumor of the cell.
dacry/o (tear) dacryorrhea, excessive flow of tears.
dactyl/o (finger, toe) dactylomegary, abnormally large fingers or toes.
de- (down) descending, coming down from.
dent/o (tooth) dental, pertaining to the teeth.
derm/o, dermat/o (skin) dermatitis, inflammation of the skin.
dextr/o (right) dextrad, toward the right side.
di- (twice, double) diplegia, paralysis affecting like parts on both sides of the body.
dia- (through, across, apart) diaphragm, the partition that separates the abdominal and thoracic cavities.
dipl/o (double, twin, twice) diplopia, double vision.
dips/o (thirst) dipsomania, alcoholism.
dis- (to free, to undo) dissect, to cut apart.
dors/o (back) dorsal, pertaining to the back.
-dynia (painful condition) cephalodynia, headache.
dys- (bad, difficult, abnormal. incomplete) dyspnea, labored breathing.
-ectasia (dilation or enlargement of an organ or part) gastrectasia, dilation (stretching) of the stomach.
ecto- (outer, outside of) ectopic, located away from the normal position.
-ectomy (the surgical removal of an organ or part) appendectomy, surgical removal of the appendix.
electr/o (electric) electrocardiogram, the written record of the heart's electrical activity.
-emia (condition of the blood) anemia, a deficiency of red blood cells.
en- (in, into, within) encapsulate, to enclose within a container.
encephal/o (brain) encephalitis, inflammation of the brain.
end-, endo- (within) endotracheal, within the trachea.
ent-, ento- (within, inner) entopic, occurring in the proper place.
enter/o (small intestine) enteritis, inflammation of the intestine.
ep-, epi- (over, on, upon) epidermis, the outermost layer of skin.
erythr /o (red) erythrocyte, a red blood cell.
esthesia (feeling) anesthesia, without feeling.
eu (good, well, normal, healthy) euphoria, an abnormal or exaggerated feeling of well-being.
ex- (out of, away from) excrement, waste material discharged from the body.
exo- (outside, outward) exophytic, to grow outward or on the surface.
extra- (on the outside, beyond, in addition to) extracorporeal, outside the body.
faci/o (face, surface) facial, pertaining to the face.
febr/i (fever) febrile, feverish.
-ferent (bear, carry) efferent, carrying away from a center.