Analysis medical terminology

dr. Santosa Budiharjo, MKes., PA.

How to analysis medical term

Steps:
1. Try to give the meaning of the term.
2. Is the word : result of word building? A
compound word? Which is the word root? What
is the meaning of its root?
3. Has the word added by prefix? Or suffix?
Which is the prefix or suffix? Define its
meaning.
4. Is there word root has combining vowel? a
combining form?
5. Summary in how to put the words together!

References are needed:

Dictionaries

(Latin, English)
on line internet: www.freedictionary
Oxford advanced learner`s dictionary of current
English (AS Hornby)
Textbook of Medical term/ terminology
Medical terminology (dennerll,JT) (Dunmore &
Fleischer)
Medical term, their roots and origins
Medical vocabulary books

Analysis of medical terminology

Analysis

= an (a)/ lysis
separation into part possibly with comment
and judgement
an (a) = upon, increasing, upward
lys/is = destruction/breakdown
Medical (adj) of the art of medicine (the
treatment of disease)
medicine = the art and science of prevention
and cure of disease

terminology
Terminology:

science of the proper use of terms or

terms used in a science or art
terminology = term/ ino/log/y
term = word used to express an idea especially a
specialized concept
log/y (noun); logos (Greek) = study, dealing with
Medical terminology = study a medical vocabulary
medical terminologist (noun) = one who studies
medical vocabulary

Medical terms analysis: word root

Word

building = put words together from their

parts
A word root = foundation of a word
examples:
suf/fix, pre/fix, af/fix, fix/ation = fix as a word
root
tonsill/itis , tonsill/ectomy = tonsill as a word
root

Medical terms analysis: compound

word
Compound

word = two or word roots are used to

build the word
example: chickenpox
Compound word in medical terminology = usually
built from a combining form, a word root, and ending
example : micr/o/scop/ic
micr = is the combining form
scop = is the word root
ic = is the ending
examples : therm/o/metr/ic; electr/o/stat/ic

Medical terms analysis: suffix

Suffix

= the ending that follows a word root

part after a word and can change
the meaning of a word; change from
nouns
to adjective; created verbs (English
verb- chane
the tense); makes a word a noun
examples: ous (adj) ; osis; = a condition, process,
activity)
nerve = nerv/ous
anemia = anem/ic (adj)
cyanosis = cyano/tic mucus = muc/ous
megaly = megal/y (n)
cardi/ac (adj)

Medical terms analysis: prefix

A prefix

is a word part that goes or is placed before a

word; can change the meaning
Examples:
im/plant; sup/plant; trans/plant
plant is a word root; im/sup/trans are prefixs
epi/gastr/ic; hypo/gastr/ic
inter/cost/al; sub/cost/al
hydr/o/cephal/us;
strep/o/cocc/us (sing) (twisted)

staphyl/o/cocc/i (clusters) (pl) dipl/o/cocc/I (pairs)

Medical terms analysis: combining form

A combining

form is a word resulted when a vowel is

added to a word root
Example :
acro = acr/o is a combining form
acr = word root ; o = a vowel (combining vowel) acr =
refer to extremities
acr/o/paralysis
acr/o/cyanosis
acr/o/megaly acr/o/dermatitis

Medical terms analysis

acromegaly

acr/o/megaly
megal/y = (noun)= means enlarged/large
acr/o = combining form = refer to extremities
symptoms are enlargment of the bones of the hand and feet,
as well as some of the bones of the head
Cardi/omegal/y; cardi/algia (=pain)
electr/o/cardi/o/gram; electr/o/cardi/o/graph;
electr/o/cardi/o/graph/y

Medical term (word)

1.

word root + suffix

dermat/itis ; cardi/algia
2. combining form + word root + suffix
acr/o/cyan/osis ; leuk/o/cyte
-o- is combining vowel
3. any number of combining form + word root
+ suffix
electr/o/cardi/o/graph/y(graph is word root)

Analysis medical terminology

involving colour = combining form + word
root
Leuk/o

(white) leuk/o/derm/a : leukoderma

Melan/o (black) melan/o/cyte :melanocyte
Erythr/o (red) erythr/o/blast: erithroblast
Cyan/o (blue) cyan/o/tic : cyanotic
Xanth/o (yellow) xanth/o/derm/a:
xanthoderma
Chlor/o (green) chlor/o/plast: chloroplast

tumor terminology = combining form + word root+

suffix (ma)
Aden/o

- gland = adenoma
Lip/o fat = lipoma; Melan/o black = melanoma
Granul/o granular tissue = granuloma
Neur/o nerve neuroma
My/o - muscle myoma
Oste/o bone osteoma
lymph/o lymph tissue = lymphoma
Carcin/o cancer = carcinoma
Sarc/o malignant connective tisue sarcoma
Papill/o small elevation of tissue = papilloma

Compound word rule

1. inflamation = /itis
cyst/itis chol/e/cyst/it is ot/itis
gastr/itis rhin/itis
arthr/itis
2. one who specializes/studies in disorder
./o/logist
dermat/o/logist
cardi/o/logist
3. pertaining to the (region) and (organ)
../o//ic
abdomin/o/cyst/ic

Word & its word root-combining form

Urine

= ur/o kidney= nephr/o

Renal pelvis=pyel/o
ureter= ureter/o
Bladder=cyst/o
urethra= urethr/o
Fallopian tuba= Salphing/o
Uterus= hyster/o (organ); metr/o (tissue of
uterus); vagina = colp/; cervix = cervic/o
Ovarium/ovary = oophor; egg= oon = o/o
Testis = orchid/o cryt/orchid/ism (hidden)

Analysis of medical terminology

Nephr/o/lith/iasis

(lith = calculi/stone; iasis = a

disease condition, pathological condition, an
infection has occurred); nephr/o/lith
Elephant/iasis= pathologic by nematoda worm
Hyster/o/salphyng/o/graph/y
Pyel/o/nephr/itis (itis= inflamation)
Ureter/o/pathy (any disease)
Py/orrhea= prefix:py/o (=pus) + suffix:orrhea(=any
flow or discharge)
Dys/men/orrhea (dys = pain;faulty, disease, bad or
difficultmen = menstruation)

suffix
-orrhaphy

= suturing or stitching
herni/orrhaphy
-orrhagia = hemorrhage or bursting forth of blood;
metr/orrhagia
-clysis = washing or irrigation (word in itself)
-ectasia = dilatation or streching (word in itself)
-pleg/a = paralysis (-ia :noun; ic : adj); hemiplegy
-scop/o = examine (-e:noun-instrument; -y: process or
action; -ic: adj) example: bronch/o/scopy

Word root combining form

Mouth

= stomat/o; Teeth = dent/o

Tounge = gloss/o; Lips = cheil/o
Gums= gingiv/o; Esophagus = esophag/o
Stomach = gastr/o
Small intestine = enter/o; Duodenum = duoden/o;
Large intestine = col/o
Rectum = rect/o ; anus and rectum = proct/o
Liver = hepar = hepat/o; pancreas = pancreat/o
Spleen

= splen/o

Word root combining form

My/o

= muscle
Angi/o= vessel
Neur/o = nerve or neuron
Spasm = o/spas/o = twitch (as suffix = spasm,
word in itself)
Blast = o/blast/o germ or embryonic, as suffix =
blast , word in itself
Scler/o = hard, use with suffix osis = scler/osis
Fibr/o = fiber/fibrous; use with suffix oma; fibr/oma
Lys/o = break down, destruction; use with suffix
is; noun : lys/is; example : lip/o/lys/is

Directional/location word & combining form

Dorsal

= dors/al; dors/o (back)

Ventral = ventr/al; ventr/o (belly)
Anterior = anter/ior; anter/o (before)
Posterior = poster/ior; poster/o (behind after)
Cephalic = cephal/ic; cephal/o (head)
Caudal, caudad = caud/al; caud/o (tail)
Medial = medi/al; medi/o; Lateral = later/al; later/o
Ect/o (outer, outside); end/o (inner inside)
Mes/o (middle); retr/o (backwrd- behind)
Par/a (near)

prefixes
Mono

(one)
multi (many)
nulli(none)
Primi(first)
uni(one) bi/diplo(two)
Tri(three) quad(four) quint(five)
Sex(six) septa(seven)
octa(eight)
Nona(nine)
deca(ten)
centa(one hundred)
Kilo(one thousand)
Mono/cyte ; uni/later/al;
multi/par/a; primi/gravid/a;

Prefixes of place
Ab

= from = sway from

ab/duct; ab/norm/al; ab/errant
De = from = down from of from
resulting in less than
de/ciduous; de/scending; de/hydr/ation
Ex = from = out from
ex/cret/ion; ex/port;

Prefixes of place
Di/a

= through; in medical terminology ;dia/a/therm/y

Per = through (Latin); in ordinary English
per/cuss/ion (noun) a striking through
per/for/ate = to puncture or make a hole
Peri = around (Greek); in medical terminology
peri/articular; pericolp/it is
Circum = around (Latin) in ordinary English
circum/duct/ion; circum/cis/ion
Super & supra = above or beyond ; super/fic/ial;
supra/lumb/ar; super/ior/ity

Prefixes of place
Epi

= over upon; epi/derm/is; epi/gastr/ic

Extra = outside of beyond in addition to
extra/cerebr/al; extra/dur/al
Infra = below ; under (almost always adjectiveal
form); infra/scapul/ar; infra/stern/al
Sub = under; below ; sub/cost/al; sub/aur/al
Meta = beyond after occuring later in a series
meta/tarsa/s; meta/stas/is; meta/carpal/s
Trans = across or over; trans/illumin/ation;
trans/sexual; trans/urethr/al

Prefixes of place
In

= in or not in/somnia
in/compet/ence; in/cis/ion (cut into)
in/flammat/ion;
in/ject/ion
Ex = out;
ex/pir/ation; ex/port
Post = behind ; after ; post/partum
Pre = before; in front of ; pre/operative
Ante = before; forward ; ante/nat/al;
ante/flex/ion

A and an = prefixes mean without

An/al/ges/ia
An/em/ia
An/esthes/ia
An/onych/ia
An/ur/ia
a/febrile
a/graph/ia

a/bi/o/tic
a/men/o/rrhea
a/seps/is
an/op/ia
an/iso/cyt/osis
a/phas/ia
an/encephal/us

Prefixes: mal, semi, hemi, con

Mal

= bad or poor (French)

mal/aria; mal/nutrition; mal/position
Semi = half (modern English)
semi/circular
Hemi = half (straight medical word)
hemi/pleg/ia
Con = with
con/genit/al ;

Suffixes: Singular and plural

-

a .. ae
bursa bursae; pleura - pleurae
-us...-I locus loci; coccus - cocci
-um..-a atrium atria; ileum ilea
-ma.mata
lipoma lipomata
-ona spermatozoon - spermatozoa
-is..es naris nares; prognosis-prognoses
-ixices
radix - radices
-ex..ices
apex apices; varix-varices
-ax..aces
thorax - thoraces

Suffixes: iatrist, iatric, log+ ist, trics

-Iatrist (n) iatric (adj) = indicate medical

professional
pod/iatrist;

psych/i/atric

paed/i/atric

- log + ist ; ian = one who study or medical speciality

end/o/crin/o/log/ist; gynecologist
orthopedist; pyschiatrist
geriatrician; obstrecian; pediatrician

Term with noun ending : suffixes a/ia

Aden/o

aden/ia Cardi/o cardi/a

Cheil/o cheil/ia dactyl/o dactyl/ia
Dent/o dent/ia derm/o derm/ia; derm/a
Gastr/o gastr/ia gloss/o gloss/ia
Onych/o onych/ia
ophthalm/o ophthalm/ia
Ot/o ot/ia phag/o- phag/ia
Pneumn/o pneumn/ia
Proct/o proct/ia urethr/o urethr/a

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