Medical Terminology Flashcards
(77 cards)
What are the 3 main building blocks in the language of medicine?
The root, suffixes, and prefixes
A root is–
The foundation/subject of the term
Roots tend to function like–
like nouns in medicine
Roots are often followed by–
a combining vowel signified by a slash and the letter O
Ex. Hem/o and hemat/o
A Suffix is
added to the end of the word in medical terminology to provide meaning (like a caboose on a train)
Simple Suffixes are–
basic and used to turn a root into a complete word
Diminutive versions are–
smaller versions of the term itself
Ex) “hijo” vs “hijito” in spanish
The opposite of a suffix is –
A prefix. It comes at the beginning of a word
(like the engine of a train)
gen/o
Ex. Genotype
Creation, cause
hydr/o
Ex Hydrocele
water
morph/o
Ex. Morphogenesis
change
myc/o
Ex. Mycology
fungus
necr/o
Ex. Necrophobia
death
orth/o
Ex. Orthopedics
straight
path/o
Ex. Pathogenic
suffering, disease
phag/o
Ex. Phagocytosis
eat
plas/o
Ex. “Plasia”
formation
py/o
Ex. Pyometra, infection of uterus
pus
scler/o
Ex. Sclerosis
hard
sten/o
Ex. Stenosis
narrowing
troph/o
Ex. Trophology
nourishment, development
Xen/o
Ex. Xenotransplantation
foreign
-ac
Ex. Ante Cibum “before meals”
pertaining to
-al
Ex. Acute Leukemia (AL)
pertaining to
