Medical Terminology: Key Terms, Prefixes, Suffixes, and Combining Forms

Overview

This study guide provides a comprehensive review of essential medical terms, prefixes, suffixes, and combining forms. Mastery of these components is fundamental for understanding medical language and communicating effectively in healthcare settings.

Key Medical Terms

Muscular and Skeletal System Terms

• Abductor: A muscle that moves a limb away from the midline of the body.

• Adductor: A muscle that moves a limb toward the midline of the body.

• Atrophy: Wasting away or decrease in size of an organ or tissue due to lack of use or disease.

• Atonic: Lacking normal muscle tone or strength.

• Contracture: Permanent tightening of muscles, tendons, or skin that restricts movement.

• Dystrophy: Disorder caused by defective nutrition, often affecting muscles.

• Flaccid: Lacking firmness or muscle tone; limp.

• Isometric: Muscle contraction without movement; muscle length remains unchanged.

• Myalgia: Muscle pain.

• Myopathy: Disease of muscle tissue.

• Myoplasty: Surgical repair of muscle.

• Myositis: Inflammation of muscle tissue.

• Neuromyopathic: Pertaining to both nerves and muscles.

• Torticollis: Twisted neck caused by muscle contraction.

Cardiovascular System Terms

• Angina pectoris: Chest pain due to insufficient blood supply to the heart.

• Arrhythmia: Irregular heartbeat.

• Bradycardia: Slow heart rate (typically <60 bpm).

• Cardiologist: Physician specializing in heart diseases.

• Cardiomegaly: Enlargement of the heart.

• Coagulation: Process of blood clotting.

• ECG (Electrocardiogram): Test recording the electrical activity of the heart.

• Hemodynamic: Relating to the flow of blood within the organs and tissues.

• Hemolysis: Destruction of red blood cells.

• Hemorrhage: Excessive bleeding.

• Hemostasis: Stopping of bleeding.

• HTN (Hypertension): High blood pressure.

• Hypotension: Low blood pressure.

• Ischemia: Reduced blood supply to tissues.

• Myocardial infarction: Heart attack; death of heart muscle due to lack of blood supply.

• Myocarditis: Inflammation of the heart muscle.

• Pericarditis: Inflammation of the pericardium (heart's outer lining).

• Stenosis: Narrowing of a body passage or opening.

• Tachycardia: Rapid heart rate (typically >100 bpm).

• Thrombocyte: Platelet; cell involved in blood clotting.

• Thrombosis: Formation of a blood clot inside a blood vessel.

• Transfusion: Transfer of blood or blood products into circulation.

• Ventricular: Pertaining to a ventricle of the heart.

Digestive System Terms

• Ascites: Accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity.

• Buccal: Pertaining to the cheek.

• Cholecystectomy: Surgical removal of the gallbladder.

• Cirrhosis: Chronic liver disease marked by degeneration and scarring.

• Colonoscopy: Examination of the colon using a scope.

• Colostomy: Surgical creation of an opening in the colon.

• Dentalgia: Toothache.

• Diarrhea: Frequent, watery bowel movements.

• Diverticulitis: Inflammation of diverticula in the colon.

• Emesis: Vomiting.

• Epigastric: Pertaining to the upper central region of the abdomen.

• Feces: Waste material expelled from the bowels.

• Gastric: Pertaining to the stomach.

• Gastroenteritis: Inflammation of the stomach and intestines.

• Hernia: Protrusion of an organ through the wall of the cavity containing it.

• Hepatomegaly: Enlargement of the liver.

• Hypogastric: Pertaining to the lower central region of the abdomen.

• Ileostomy: Surgical creation of an opening in the ileum.

• Laparotomy: Surgical incision into the abdominal cavity.

• Mesentery: Fold of tissue attaching the intestines to the abdominal wall.

• Nausea: Sensation of needing to vomit.

• Occlusion: Blockage or closing of a passage.

• Peptic: Relating to digestion, especially the stomach.

• Peristalsis: Wave-like muscle contractions moving food through the digestive tract.

• Polycythemia: Increased number of red blood cells.

• Splenomegaly: Enlargement of the spleen.

• Supine: Lying face upward.

• Torsion: Twisting of an organ or structure.

• Volvulus: Twisting of the intestine causing obstruction.

Blood and Lymphatic System Terms

• Agglutination: Clumping of cells, often due to antibody-antigen reaction.

• Anaphylaxis: Severe, rapid allergic reaction.

• Anemia: Deficiency of red blood cells or hemoglobin.

• Antigen: Substance that triggers an immune response.

• Erythroblast: Immature red blood cell.

• Erythrocyte: Mature red blood cell.

• Extravasation: Leakage of fluid from a vessel into surrounding tissue.

• Hematocrit: Percentage of red blood cells in blood.

• Hematology: Study of blood and blood diseases.

• Leukemia: Cancer of blood-forming tissues.

• Leukocytopenia: Decrease in white blood cells.

• Lymphoma: Cancer of lymphatic tissue.

• Transfusion: Introduction of blood into the bloodstream.

Respiratory System Terms

• Hemoptysis: Coughing up blood.

• Hypoxia: Deficiency in oxygen reaching tissues.

• Oximetry: Measurement of oxygen saturation in blood.

• Pharyngeal: Pertaining to the pharynx (throat).

• Spir/o: Combining form meaning "breath" or "breathing".

Other Important Terms

• Auscultation: Listening to sounds within the body, typically with a stethoscope.

• Fascia: Band or sheet of connective tissue.

• Fasciitis: Inflammation of fascia.

• Lingual: Pertaining to the tongue.

• Palpitation: Noticeable rapid, strong, or irregular heartbeat.

• Prosthesis: Artificial device replacing a body part.

• Rheumatism: Disease causing pain in joints or connective tissue.

• Synergism: Interaction of two or more agents producing a combined effect.

• Thermometer: Instrument for measuring temperature.

Prefixes

Prefixes are word parts added to the beginning of a root word to modify its meaning.

Suffixes

Suffixes are word parts added to the end of a root word to modify its meaning.

Combining Forms

Combining forms are used to connect root words with suffixes or prefixes, often with an "o" or "i" as a connecting vowel.

Study Tips

• Knowing word parts (prefixes, suffixes, combining forms) helps recall definitions.

• Review and memorize definitions for all key terms.

• Practice constructing and deconstructing medical terms using word parts.

• This list is not all-inclusive; continue to expand your vocabulary as you progress.

Example: Constructing Medical Terms

• Hemolysis: Hem/o (blood) + -lysis (destruction) = destruction of blood cells.

• Gastroenteritis: Gastr/o (stomach) + enter/o (intestine) + -itis (inflammation) = inflammation of stomach and intestines.

• Phlebotomy: Phleb/o (vein) + -tomy (incision) = incision into a vein.

Additional info:

• Some terms may overlap between systems; context determines their specific application.

• Prefixes and suffixes can be combined with various root words to create new terms.