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Word Parts
Medical terms are built from word parts. Those word parts are , , , and . When a is combined with a the word part is referred to as a .
Identifying Word Parts in Medical Terms
By the end of this resource, you will have identified hundreds of word parts within medical terms. Let’s start with some common medical terms that many non-medically trained people may be familiar with.
Osteoarthritis
Oste/o/arthr/itis – Inflammation
of bone and joint.
Oste/o is a that means bone
arthr/o is a that means joint
-itis is a that means inflammation
Intravenous
Intra/ven/ous – Pertaining to within a vein.
Intra- is a that means within
ven/o – is a that means vein
-ous is a that means pertaining to
Notice, when breaking down words that you place slashes between word parts and a slash on each side of a .
Language Rules
Language rules are a good place to start when building a medical terminology foundation. Many medical terms are built from word parts and can be translated . At first, literal translations sound awkward. Once you build a medical vocabulary and become proficient at using it, the awkwardness will slip away. For example, suffixes will no longer be stated and will be assumed. The definition of intravenous then becomes within the vein.
Since you are at the beginning of building your medical terminology foundation stay literal when applicable. It should be noted that as with all language rules there are always exceptions and we refer to those as . So let’s begin by analyzing the language rules for medical terminology.
Medical terms can be divided into three basic word elements: prefixes, roots (or stems), and suffixes. The root or stem of a medical term usually has been derived from a Greek or Latin noun or verb. This root expresses the basic meaning of the term. However, often that meaning will be modified by the addition of a prefix (at the beginning of the word) or the addition of a suffix (at the end of the word). Frequently a root + a suffix will be used as a suffix and added to another root as a word ending. Some examples are -emia, -genic, -penia, and -pathy. However, two suffixes alone cannot combine to form a word. Three common medical terms, their roots, and their root definitions are listed below.
tonsillitis | tonsilla | tonsil (Latin tonsilla) |
thermal | therm | heat |
prognosis | gno | to know |