Very important for science students

1. Date: 07th Nov., 2022 Day: Monday Presented by: Dr. Pankaj Sharma
National Expressway Banmore, Near Gwalior M.P
The Language of
Medicine

2. 2
• Identify basic objectives to guide your study of
the medical language.
• Divide medical words into their
component parts.
• Learn the meanings of basic combining forms,
prefixes, and suffixes of the medical language.
• Use these combining forms, prefixes, and suffixes
to build medical words.

3. Objectives in Studying The
Medical Language
3
• Analyze words by dividing them into
component parts.
• Relate the medical terms to the structure and
function of the human body.
• Be aware of spelling and pronunciation
problems.

4. QUICK QUIZ:
4
1. All medical terms have:
A. a combining vowel
B. two roots
C. a suffix
D. a prefix

5. 5
Word Analysis
HEMAT/O/LOGY

6. Word Analysis (cont’d)
• hemat means blood
• logy means process of study
6
HEMAT/O/LOGY
Root Combining vowel Suffix

7. Word Analysis (cont’d)
7
Important elements:
Root: foundation of the term
Suffix: word ending
Prefix: word beginning
Combining vowel: vowel (usually o) that links
the root to the suffix or the root to another
root and aids pronunciation
Combining form: combination of the root and
the combining vowel

8. 8
Word Analysis (cont’d)
ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM

9. Word Analysis (cont’d)
9
ELECTR/O/CARDI/O/GRAM
root root suffix
combining vowels
electr means electricity
cardi means heart
-gram means record

10. Word Analysis (cont’d)
10
GASTR/ITIS

11. Word Analysis (cont’d)
11
GASTR/ITIS
root suffix
gastr means
-itis means
stomach
inflammation
Note: Drop combining vowel when suffix starts
with a vowel (as in “itis”)

12. Word Analysis (cont’d)
12
GASTR/O/ENTER/O/LOGY

13. Word Analysis (cont’d)
13
GASTR/O/ENTER/O/LOGY
root root suffix
combining vowels
gastr means stomach
enter means intestines
-logy means process of study

14. Word Analysis (cont’d)
14
THREE General Rules:
1. Read the meaning of medical terms from the
suffix back to the beginning of the term and
across
2. Drop the combining vowel (usually o) before a
suffix beginning with a vowel: gastritis not
“gastroitis”
3. Keep the combining vowel between two roots:
gastroenterology not “gastrenterology”

15. Word Analysis (cont’d)
15
HYPO/GASTR/IC

16. Word Analysis (cont’d)
16
HYPO/GASTR/IC
prefix root suffix
hypo- means below
gastr means stomach
-ic means pertaining to

17. Word Analysis (cont’d)
17
EPI/GASTR/IC

18. Word Analysis (cont’d)
18
EPI/GASTR/IC
prefix root suffix
epi- means above
gastr means stomach
-ic means pertaining to

19. Combining Forms
19
aden/o
arthr/o
bi/o
carcin/o
cardi/o
Combining Form Meaning

20. Combining Forms (cont’d)
20
aden/o gland
arthr/o joint
bi/o life
carcin/o cancerous, cancer
cardi/o heart
Combining Form Meaning

21. QUICK QUIZ:
21
3. Which term means inflammation
of the gland?
A. Arthritis
B. Adenitis
C. Adenoma
D. Cephalic

22. Combining Forms
22
cephal/o
cerebr/o
cis/o
crin/o
cyst/o
Combining Form Meaning

23. Combining Forms (cont’d)
23
cephal/o head
cerebr/o cerebrum
cis/o to cut
crin/o to secrete
Combining Form Meaning
cyst/o urinary bladder

24. Combining Forms (cont’d)
cyt/o
derm/o or dermat/o
electr/o
encephal/o
enter/o
Combining Form Meaning
27

25. Combining Forms (cont’d)
25
cyt/o cell
derm/o or dermat/o skin
electr/o electricity
encephal/o brain
enter/o intestines
Combining Form Meaning

26. QUICK QUIZ:
26
4. Which term means study of cells?
A. Cystoscopy
B. Cystitis
C. Cytology
D. Hematology

27. Combining Forms
27
erythr/o
gastr/o
glyc/o
gnos/o
gynec/o
Combining Form Meaning

28. Combining Forms (cont’d)
28
erythr/o red
gastr/o stomach
glyc/o sugar
gnos/o knowledge
gynec/o woman, female
Combining Form Meaning
hemat/o or hem/o blood

29. Combining Forms (cont’d)
29
hepat/o
iatr/o
leuk/o
log/o
nephr/o
Combining Form Meaning
neur/o

30. Combining Forms (cont’d)
30
hepat/o liver
iatr/o treatment, physician
leuk/o white
log/o study of
nephr/o kidney
Combining Form Meaning
neur/o

31. Combining Forms (cont’d)
31
onc/o
ophthalm/o
oste/o
path/o
Combining Form Meaning
ped/o

32. Combining Forms (cont’d)
32
onc/o tumor
ophthalm/o eye
oste/o bone
path/o disease
Combining Form Meaning
ped/o child

33. Combining Forms (cont’d)
psych/o
radi/o
ren/o
rhin/o
sarc/o
Combining Form Meaning
36

34. Combining Forms (cont’d)
34
psych/o mind
radi/o x-rays
ren/o kidney
rhin/o nose
sarc/o flesh
Combining Form Meaning

35. Combining Forms (cont’d)
35
sect/o
thromb/o
ur/o
Combining Form Meaning

36. Combining Forms (cont’d)
36
sect/o to cut
thromb/o clot, clotting
ur/o urinary tract, urine
Combining Form Meaning

37. Suffixes
37
-ic
-al
-algia
-cyte
-ectomy
Combining Form Meaning

38. Suffixes (cont’d)
38
Combining Form Meaning
-ic pertaining to
-al pertaining to
-algia pain
-cyte cell
-ectomy excision,

39. QUICK QUIZ:
39
5. Which suffix means to “cut out” or remove?
A.-ectomy
B.-scopy
C. -itis
D.-opsy

40. Suffixes
40
-emia
-genic
-globin
-gram
-ic, ical
Combining Form Meaning

41. Suffixes (cont’d)
41
-emia blood condition
-genic produced by or in
-globin protein
-gram record
Combining Form Meaning
-ic, ical pertaining to

42. Suffixes (cont’d)
42
-ion
-ist
-itis
-logy
Combining Form Meaning
-oma

43. Suffixes (cont’d)
43
-ion process
-ist specialist
-itis inflammation
-logy process of study
Combining Form Meaning
-oma tumor, mass, swelling

44. 47
Suffixes (cont’d)
-opsy
-osis
-pathy
-scope
Combining Form Meaning
-scopy

45. Suffixes (cont’d)
45
-opsy process of viewing
-osis condition, usually abnormal
-pathy disease condition
-scope
-scopy
instrument to visually examine
process of visually examining
Combining Form Meaning

46. Suffixes (cont’d)
46
-sis
-tomy
-y
Combining Form Meaning

47. Suffixes (cont’d)
47
-sis state of; condition
-tomy process of cutting, incision
-y process, condition
Combining Form Meaning

48. Prefixes
48
a-, an-
aut-, auto
dia-
end-, endo-
epi-
ex-, exo-
Combining Form Meaning

49. Prefixes (cont’d)
49
a-, an- no, not, without
aut-, auto- self, own
dia- complete, through
endo- within
epi- above, upon
ex-, exo- out, outside of, outward
Combining Form Meaning

50. Prefixes (cont’d)
50
hyper-
hypo-
in-
peri-
pro-
Combining Form Meaning

51. Prefixes (cont’d)
51
hyper- excessive, above, more than normal
hypo- deficient, below, under, less than normal
in- into, in
peri- surrounding, around
pro- before, forward
Combining Form Meaning

52. Prefixes (cont’d)
52
re-
retro-
sub-
trans-
Combining Form Meaning

53. Prefixes (cont’d)
53
re- back, backward, again
retro- behind
sub- below, under
trans- across, through
Combining Form Meaning

54. Pronunciation of Terms
(cont’d)
54
Examples:
adenitis
biology
cephalic
iatrogenic
resection
ăd-ĕ-Nī-tĭs
bī-OL-ō-jē
se-FĂL-ĭk
i-ăt-rō-JĔN-ĭk
rē-SĔK-shŭn