Understanding Medical Root Words

Welcome back to the channel where medical topics are made easy. We're going to continue to simplify medical terminology in this video, and before we get started, make sure to turn on those captions down below and read along. This will help improve learning. We already talked about common medical abbreviations, prefixes, and root words in the last couple videos, and they're going to be linked down below in the description, so make sure to check them out. Now we're going to continue with the list of even more common root words that you're likely to see. You might remember from the previous videos that most medical words have a beginning, middle, and end. Just to recap, the prefix is the descriptive part of the medical term, and it forms the beginning of the word. The prefix describes characteristics like location, direction, number, quantity, amount, size, or color. Next, we have the root, and it forms the middle of the word. The root provides the subject of the term, and it often pertains to a body part or system. Finally, we have the suffix, and it forms the end of the word. The suffix brings meaning to the term, and it might indicate a disease, disorder, condition, procedure, process, specialty, or test. We're now going to focus on three more sets of common medical roots. And make sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on the future video on suffixes. As mentioned before, medical roots are the subject of the word and often pertain to a body part or system. You can usually find the root in the middle of the word when a prefix is present. If there is no prefix, then the root is going to form the beginning of the word. There might also be more than one root combined together. Let's take a look at the first set of root words. Hit pause in the video and see how many you can define before looking at the answers. First we have axillo, which refers to the armpit. You might learn about the axillary vein in anatomy. The axillary vein travels through the axilla toward the first rib. As we go through the roots, you're going to see that most of them are shown in the table as ending in the letter O. This is the combining form, and it's to help simplify the pronunciation. Just know that there might be a different vowel other than O that follows the root. The vowel that follows the root is known as the combining vowel, and it connects the root to another root word or a suffix. Next, we have reno, which means kidney. You can think of a renogram or renal scan, which is a nuclear medicine test of the kidneys. It uses radioactive tracer to examine the kidneys and their function. The next root is rhino which refers to the nose. A simple trick is to think of a rhino and its horn on its nose and this will help you remember that rhino means nose. An example medical term is rhinorrhea which refers to a runny nose. You might also remember from the last video that naso means nose as well. Moving on to sigmoido, this pertains to the sigmoid colon. The sigmoid colon is the s-shaped last part of the large intestine. Making it easy to remember because sigmoido and sigmoid both start with the letter S. An example is sigmoidoscopy, which is a procedure that uses a scope to visualize the inside of the sigmoid colon. Next is sinus, which refers to the sinuses. It's another easy one to remember because the root word sinus is self-explanatory. You can think of sinusitis, which is inflammation of the sinuses, especially around the nose as indicated by the star. You'll learn in the suffix video that itis means inflammation. The next root is tracheo, which means trachea. It's another simple one to remember because tracheo and trachea sound similar. An example medical term is tracheostomy, which is a surgical opening through the neck into the trachea to allow for passage of air. Next, we have tympano, which refers to the eardrum. The medical term for eardrum is actually tympanic membrane, so this could help you remember that the root tympano pertains to the eardrum. Another example is typanosclerosis, which is the calcification and hardening of tissue in the eardrum. Moving on to umbilico, this refers to the umbilicus or umbilicus, which is the belly button. The simple way to remember this root is to think of the umbilical cord, which is the cord arising from the navel that connects the fetus with the placenta. Next, we have vascular, which pertains to blood vessels. An example is perivascular, which means situated or occurring around a blood vessel. Perivascular is a good example of a medical term that uses a prefix, which in this case is peri-meaning around or surrounding, followed by the root word. You might also remember from the last video that arterio refers to an artery. Finally, we have vesico, which refers to the bladder. It can also mean blister as well. An example medical term is colovesical fistula, which is an abnormal connection between the colon and urinary bladder. This is a great example of two roots combined together. We have colo referring to colon that we learned in the last video, and we have vesico referring to urinary bladder. Let's move on to the next set of common medical root words. Hit pause in the video and see how many you can name. First we have adeno which refers to gland. An example is adenocarcinoma. We learned from the last video that carcino means cancer, so adenocarcinoma is cancer that originates in the glands or gland cells, which are typically found in tissues that line internal organs. The next root is chondro, which relates to cartilage. You can think of chondroblast, which is a type of cell that plays a role in the formation of cartilage. Next we have blepharocarpal which refers to the eyelid. An example medical term is blepharospasm, which is involuntary movement, twitching, or contraction of the eyelid. Moving on to bucco, this means cheek. You might learn about the buccinator in anatomy, which is the major facial muscle underlying the cheek. The next root word is carpo, which means wrist. Another anatomy example would be the carpal and metacarpal bones. The carpal bones are the eight bones of the wrist. Then if we break down metacarpal, meta means after, subsequent to, or behind. So the metacarpal bones are the bones in the hand, which are subsequent to the carpal bones, which are in the wrist. Metacarpal is another good example of a term that uses a prefix, which in this case is meta, and then it's followed by a root word. Next we have cholecysto, which relates to the gallbladder. For example, cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder. The next root word is costo, which means rib. A good medical term to use here is costochondritis, because we just learned what chondro meant. Remember chondro refers to cartilage, and we hinted earlier that itis means inflammation. So costochondritis is inflammation of the cartilage of the rib cage or chest wall. Next is cutaneo, which refers to the skin. A good example is transcutaneous because it's another term that uses a prefix followed by a root. We learned in the prefix video that trans means through or across. So transcutaneous means by way of or through the skin. An example medical term would be transcutaneous pacing, which is a temporary means of pacing the heart by delivering pulses of electrical current through the skin. Moving on to gingivo, this pertains to the gums of the mouth. More medical terms that use a prefix followed by a root are supragingival and subgingival. We know from the prefix video that supra means above and sub means below. So for example, supragingival plaque refers to bacteria above the margin of the gums and subgingival plaque refers to bacteria below the margin of the gums. Finally, we have labio which relates to the lips. You can think of labiodental sounds, which refers to the letters made using the lower lip and upper teeth, such as F or V. Let's wrap this up with one final set of common roots. First we have lingua or linguo, which means tongue. We can use the example linguo gingival because we now know what gingivo means. We know gingivo refers to the gums, and linguo refers to the tongue. So linguo gingival pertains to the tongue and gums. You can also think of the word bilingual. which is the ability to speak in two languages or tongues. Next we have myelo, which refers to the bone marrow or the spinal cord. Some bone marrow examples include myeloma, which is a malignant tumor of the bone marrow, or myeloblast, which is a type of immature white blood cell that forms in the bone marrow, or myelofibrosis, which is scarring of the bone marrow that interrupts normal production of blood cells. An example medical term for the spinal cord is myelogram, which is a radiographic study using contrast dye to look at the spinal canal. Next is odonto, which means teeth. You can think of periodontitis, which is inflammation of the tissue around the teeth. It's a good example of a medical term that uses a prefix, which is peri, and this means around or surrounding. And then there's a root, which is odonto, and this means teeth. And finally, a suffix, which is itis, and this means inflammation. The next root is a simple one. It's oro which means mouth. You can also think of oropharynx which is the part of the throat at the back of the mouth. Next is pelvo which refers to the pelvis, especially of the skeleton. It's another easy one to remember because pelvo and pelv sound the same. You can think of a pelvic binder, which is used in trauma to compress the pelvis in patients with a pelvic fracture. The next root is another easy one because they sound the same. It's spleno, which refers to spleen. An example medical term is splenectomy, which is the surgical removal of the spleen. Next, we have spondylo, which refers to the vertebrae or spine. An example is spondylosis, which is degenerative arthritic changes to the spine. Moving on to aorta, this refers to the aorta. It's obviously another easy one to remember. You can think of aorta stenosis, which is narrowing of the aorta. Next is angio, which means blood vessel. Remember, vascular also refers to blood vessel, and arterio refers to artery. You can think of angiography, which is the radiographic visualization of blood vessels after injecting them with the dye. Finally, we have steth-o, which refers to chest. The simple example is stethoscope, which is the instrument used primarily to listen to the chest, especially the heart and lungs. Hopefully this helped you better understand medical terminology and roots. If you found the video useful, please hit the like button and comment down below. Make sure to subscribe to not miss out on the next medical terminology video, along with other future medical topics made easy. You can find all of the notes and tables for this video on the website linked down below in the description. Thanks for watching and hope you check out future videos.

Now we're going to continue with the list of even more common root words that you're likely to see. You might remember from the previous videos that most medical words have a beginning, middle, and end. Just to recap, the prefix is the descriptive part of the medical term, and it forms the beginning of the word. The prefix describes characteristics like location, direction, number, quantity, amount, size, or color.

Next, we have the root, and it forms the middle of the word. The root provides the subject of the term, and it often pertains to a body part or system. Finally, we have the suffix, and it forms the end of the word.

The suffix brings meaning to the term, and it might indicate a disease, disorder, condition, procedure, process, specialty, or test. We're now going to focus on three more sets of common medical roots. And make sure to hit that subscribe button so you don't miss out on the future video on suffixes.

As mentioned before, medical roots are the subject of the word and often pertain to a body part or system. You can usually find the root in the middle of the word when a prefix is present. If there is no prefix, then the root is going to form the beginning of the word. There might also be more than one root combined together. Let's take a look at the first set of root words.

Hit pause in the video and see how many you can define before looking at the answers. First we have axillo, which refers to the armpit. You might learn about the axillary vein in anatomy. The axillary vein travels through the axilla toward the first rib. As we go through the roots, you're going to see that most of them are shown in the table as ending in the letter O.

This is the combining form, and it's to help simplify the pronunciation. Just know that there might be a different vowel other than O that follows the root. The vowel that follows the root is known as the combining vowel, and it connects the root to another root word or a suffix.

Next, we have reno, which means kidney. You can think of a renogram or renal scan, which is a nuclear medicine test of the kidneys. It uses radioactive tracer to examine the kidneys and their function. The next root is rhino which refers to the nose. A simple trick is to think of a rhino and its horn on its nose and this will help you remember that rhino means nose.

An example medical term is rhinorrhea which refers to a runny nose. You might also remember from the last video that naso means nose as well. Moving on to sigmoido, this pertains to the sigmoid colon. The sigmoid colon is the s-shaped last part of the large intestine.

Making it easy to remember because sigmoido and sigmoid both start with the letter S. An example is sigmoidoscopy, which is a procedure that uses a scope to visualize the inside of the sigmoid colon. Next is sinus, which refers to the sinuses.

It's another easy one to remember because the root word sinus is self-explanatory. You can think of sinusitis, which is inflammation of the sinuses, especially around the nose as indicated by the star. You'll learn in the suffix video that itis means inflammation.

The next root is tracheo, which means trachea. It's another simple one to remember because tracheo and trachea sound similar. An example medical term is tracheostomy, which is a surgical opening through the neck into the trachea to allow for passage of air. Next, we have tympano, which refers to the eardrum. The medical term for eardrum is actually tympanic membrane, so this could help you remember that the root tympano pertains to the eardrum.

Another example is typanosclerosis, which is the calcification and hardening of tissue in the eardrum. Moving on to umbilico, this refers to the umbilicus or umbilicus, which is the belly button. The simple way to remember this root is to think of the umbilical cord, which is the cord arising from the navel that connects the fetus with the placenta. Next, we have vascular, which pertains to blood vessels. An example is perivascular, which means situated or occurring around a blood vessel.

Perivascular is a good example of a medical term that uses a prefix, which in this case is peri-meaning around or surrounding, followed by the root word. You might also remember from the last video that arterio refers to an artery. Finally, we have vesico, which refers to the bladder.

It can also mean blister as well. An example medical term is colovesical fistula, which is an abnormal connection between the colon and urinary bladder. This is a great example of two roots combined together. We have colo referring to colon that we learned in the last video, and we have vesico referring to urinary bladder.

Let's move on to the next set of common medical root words. Hit pause in the video and see how many you can name. First we have adeno which refers to gland.

An example is adenocarcinoma. We learned from the last video that carcino means cancer, so adenocarcinoma is cancer that originates in the glands or gland cells, which are typically found in tissues that line internal organs. The next root is chondro, which relates to cartilage.

You can think of chondroblast, which is a type of cell that plays a role in the formation of cartilage. Next we have blepharocarpal which refers to the eyelid. An example medical term is blepharospasm, which is involuntary movement, twitching, or contraction of the eyelid.

Moving on to bucco, this means cheek. You might learn about the buccinator in anatomy, which is the major facial muscle underlying the cheek. The next root word is carpo, which means wrist. Another anatomy example would be the carpal and metacarpal bones. The carpal bones are the eight bones of the wrist.

Then if we break down metacarpal, meta means after, subsequent to, or behind. So the metacarpal bones are the bones in the hand, which are subsequent to the carpal bones, which are in the wrist. Metacarpal is another good example of a term that uses a prefix, which in this case is meta, and then it's followed by a root word. Next we have cholecysto, which relates to the gallbladder. For example, cholecystitis is inflammation of the gallbladder.

The next root word is costo, which means rib. A good medical term to use here is costochondritis, because we just learned what chondro meant. Remember chondro refers to cartilage, and we hinted earlier that itis means inflammation. So costochondritis is inflammation of the cartilage of the rib cage or chest wall.

Next is cutaneo, which refers to the skin. A good example is transcutaneous because it's another term that uses a prefix followed by a root. We learned in the prefix video that trans means through or across.

So transcutaneous means by way of or through the skin. An example medical term would be transcutaneous pacing, which is a temporary means of pacing the heart by delivering pulses of electrical current through the skin. Moving on to gingivo, this pertains to the gums of the mouth.

More medical terms that use a prefix followed by a root are supragingival and subgingival. We know from the prefix video that supra means above and sub means below. So for example, supragingival plaque refers to bacteria above the margin of the gums and subgingival plaque refers to bacteria below the margin of the gums.

Finally, we have labio which relates to the lips. You can think of labiodental sounds, which refers to the letters made using the lower lip and upper teeth, such as F or V. Let's wrap this up with one final set of common roots. First we have lingua or linguo, which means tongue. We can use the example linguo gingival because we now know what gingivo means.

We know gingivo refers to the gums, and linguo refers to the tongue. So linguo gingival pertains to the tongue and gums. You can also think of the word bilingual. which is the ability to speak in two languages or tongues.

Next we have myelo, which refers to the bone marrow or the spinal cord. Some bone marrow examples include myeloma, which is a malignant tumor of the bone marrow, or myeloblast, which is a type of immature white blood cell that forms in the bone marrow, or myelofibrosis, which is scarring of the bone marrow that interrupts normal production of blood cells. An example medical term for the spinal cord is myelogram, which is a radiographic study using contrast dye to look at the spinal canal.

Next is odonto, which means teeth. You can think of periodontitis, which is inflammation of the tissue around the teeth. It's a good example of a medical term that uses a prefix, which is peri, and this means around or surrounding.

And then there's a root, which is odonto, and this means teeth. And finally, a suffix, which is itis, and this means inflammation. The next root is a simple one. It's oro which means mouth. You can also think of oropharynx which is the part of the throat at the back of the mouth.

Next is pelvo which refers to the pelvis, especially of the skeleton. It's another easy one to remember because pelvo and pelv sound the same. You can think of a pelvic binder, which is used in trauma to compress the pelvis in patients with a pelvic fracture.

The next root is another easy one because they sound the same. It's spleno, which refers to spleen. An example medical term is splenectomy, which is the surgical removal of the spleen.

Next, we have spondylo, which refers to the vertebrae or spine. An example is spondylosis, which is degenerative arthritic changes to the spine. Moving on to aorta, this refers to the aorta. It's obviously another easy one to remember.

You can think of aorta stenosis, which is narrowing of the aorta. Next is angio, which means blood vessel. Remember, vascular also refers to blood vessel, and arterio refers to artery. You can think of angiography, which is the radiographic visualization of blood vessels after injecting them with the dye. Finally, we have steth-o, which refers to chest.

The simple example is stethoscope, which is the instrument used primarily to listen to the chest, especially the heart and lungs. Hopefully this helped you better understand medical terminology and roots. If you found the video useful, please hit the like button and comment down below. Make sure to subscribe to not miss out on the next medical terminology video, along with other future medical topics made easy.

You can find all of the notes and tables for this video on the website linked down below in the description. Thanks for watching and hope you check out future videos.

Transcript for:Understanding Medical Root Words

Transcript for:
Understanding Medical Root Words