Overview
This lecture simplifies medical terminology by breaking down words into prefixes, roots, and suffixes, with a focus on understanding common medical prefixes related to quantity, color, time, speed, and location.
Structure of Medical Terms
- Medical terms often have three parts: prefix (beginning), root (middle), and suffix (end).
- The prefix often describes characteristics like location, number, amount, size, or color.
- The root provides the core meaning, commonly referencing a body part or system.
- The suffix describes the condition, disease, procedure, or specialty.
Common Prefixes: Quantity and Size
- mono, uni — one or single
- bi, di, diplo — two or double
- tri — three
- quad — four
- semi, hemi — half or one side
- equi, iso — equal
- eu, normo — normal
- hyper — above normal, high, or excessive
- hypo — below normal, low, or deficient
- a, an — absent or lacking
- pan, omni — all
- multi, poly — many
- micro — small
- macro, megalo — large
- oligo — few or little
Prefixes: Color
- chromo, chromato — color
- alb — pale or white
- chloro — green
- cyano — blue
- erythro — red
- glauco — gray or opaque
- leuko — white
- melano — black
- polio — gray
- porphyr — purple
- rhodo — rose/red
- xantho — yellow
Prefixes: Time and Speed
- pre — before
- post — after
- ante, pro — before
- re — again
- retro — back or backward
- neo — new
- chrono — time
- tachy — fast
- brady — slow
Prefixes: Location and Position
- epi, hyper, supra, super — above or upon
- sub, hypo, infra — below or under
- dextro — right side
- levo, sinistro — left side
- antero, ventro, anti — front
- postero, dorso — back
- peri, circum — around or surrounding
- endo, intra, intro — inside or inner
- exo, extra, ecto — outside or outer
- ab — away from
- ad — toward
- trans — through or across
Prefixes: Middle, Sides, Nearby, Between, Both, Same, Opposite
- meso, meta, medi — middle
- lateral — to the side
- para — nearby or beside
- juxta — next to
- inter — between
- ambi, amphi — both or both sides
- ipsi — same side
- contra — opposite or against
Key Terms & Definitions
- Prefix — word part at the beginning; describes characteristics like location, number, or color
- Root — central part giving the main meaning, usually a body part
- Suffix — word ending indicating condition, disease, or procedure
- Abduction — moving away from the body
- Adduction — moving toward the body
- Ipsilateral — same side
- Contralateral — opposite side
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review and memorize common prefixes listed above.
- Watch the next video covering roots and suffixes in medical terminology.
- Check out the previous video on medical abbreviations if not already viewed.