Overview
This lecture introduces strategies for understanding medical terminology by breaking down complex terms into manageable parts, focusing on common Greek and Latin roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
Structure of Medical Terms
- Most medical terms have three parts: prefix (beginning), root (main word), and suffix (ending).
- Prefixes and suffixes modify the root to change meaning.
- Breaking down complex terms helps make them easier to understand and remember.
Common Roots and Their Meanings
- Osteo relates to bones (e.g., osteocyte = bone cell).
- Mayo or Sarco refer to muscle (e.g., myofiber, sarcoplasmic reticulum).
- Neuro means nerve (e.g., neuron).
- Derm refers to skin (e.g., dermatitis, dermatologist).
- Angio relates to blood vessels (e.g., angioplasty).
- Veno/Flebo refer to veins (e.g., phlebotomist).
- Cardio refers to the heart (e.g., cardiology).
- Rhino relates to the nose (e.g., rhinoplasty).
- Tympano refers to the eardrum (e.g., tympanic membrane).
- Neph/Nephr refers to the kidney (e.g., nephron).
- Cranium means skull; Ophthalmo/Oculo for eye; Otto for ear; Thrombo for blood clots; Hepato for liver; Mammo for breast; Colo for colon; Gastro for stomach; Ilio for small intestine; Thoro for chest; Pneumo/Pleo for lungs.
Prefixes for Size, Rate, Color, and Direction
- Macro/Megalo = large; Micro = small.
- Hyper = overactive; Hypo = underactive.
- Tachy = fast; Brady = slow (commonly heart rate, e.g., tachycardia, bradycardia).
- Chloro = green; Leuko = white; Erythro = red; Cyano = blue.
- Endo/Intra = within; Inter = between; Extra = outside; Peri = around; Trans = across.
Suffixes for Testing Procedures and Conditions
- Echo (ultrasound, e.g., echocardiogram); Electro (electric, e.g., electrocardiogram).
- -ectomy = removal; -gram = image; -graph = record or process of recording.
- -scope = instrument for viewing; -otomy = cutting/incision.
- -ostomy = creating an opening.
Suffixes for Disease and Conditions
- Dys = not working properly; Mal = bad.
- -emia = blood condition; -itis = inflammation; -osis = condition/disease; -pathy = disease.
Examples of Word Breakdown
- Hypercholesterolemia: hyper (elevated) + cholesterol + emia (blood condition) = high blood cholesterol.
- Dermatitis: derm (skin) + itis (inflammation) = skin inflammation.
- Colostomy: colo (colon) + ostomy (opening) = surgical opening in the colon.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Prefix — word part at the beginning, modifies meaning.
- Root — core part of a term, main meaning.
- Suffix — ending part, often indicates procedure or condition.
- Osteo — bone.
- Myo/Sarco — muscle.
- Neuro — nerve.
- Derm — skin.
- Angio — vessel.
- Cardio — heart.
- Rhino — nose.
- Tympano — eardrum.
- Nephro — kidney.
- Hyper/Hypo — over/under respectively.
- Itis — inflammation.
- Emia — blood condition.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Keep a personal list or dictionary of Greek and Latin roots.
- Practice breaking down complex medical terms into prefixes, roots, and suffixes.
- Study and memorize common roots, prefixes, and suffixes.
- Complete exercises on word breakdown as suggested.