PEOPLE’S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF ALGERIA

MINISTRY OF HIGHER EDUCATION AND SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH

DJILLALI LIABES University of Sidi Bel-Abbes

Faculty of Medicine
Department of Pharmacy

MEDICAL
TERMINOLOGY
“Structure”

2nd Year Pharmacy / 2éme Année Pharmacie

By: Dr. B. TALHA

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 Medical terminology is the standardized means of communication within the
healthcare industry. It eases clinical proceedings and enables everyone involved in the
process of treatment and care to perform more efficiently for the patient’s benefit. Very often within
the clinical environment, medical terminology is composed of abbreviations and understanding them
makes documentation much faster and easier.

Medical terms can prove to be challenging, with thousands of words to memorize, it’s near
impossible to understand every single word unless we break those words into their composing
components. When studying and practicing medicine, we need to be absolutely and
unequivocally sure about the meanings of the terms which we use. Analysing the derivation
of important medical terms forces us to reflect on their exact meaning and be aware of any
possible ambiguity. "Medical terms are very much like individual jigsaw puzzles. They are
constructed of small pieces that make each word unique, but the pieces can be used in
different combinations in other words as well." Keeping in mind that medical terminology is
the professional language of those who are directly or indirectly engaged in the art of healing.
So, they are terms dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and maintenance of
health.

Medical terms can be divided into one-word or multiple-word terms. One-word terms can be
simple (underived) words, derived words, compounds, or combination of derived and compound
words.

I. Main Types of Word-Formation:

Generally, vocabulary spreads in three possible ways:

1. Forming new names.

2. Forming new meanings.

3. Borrowing words from other languages.

Other linguists divide forming of new terms according to their ways of formation:

1. Morphological by means of derivation, compounding, abbreviation.

2. Syntactic by forming collocations and multi-word phrases.

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 3. Semantic by narrowing (specifying) the meaning of common words; by
metaphoric and metonymic transfer of the previous meaning.

4. Borrowing words from other languages: This involves taking words from other languages and
incorporating them into one's own language. For example, "sushi" and "karaoke" are borrowed from
Japanese. Café- Kindergarten

The most productive type of terms formation is derivation (also called Affixation). Derived
medical terms can consist of a prefix, one- or two-word roots, and a suffix in various combinations, as
witnessed in the following examples: Myocardium = myo- (prefix) + card(ium) (root) / Endocarditis
= endo- (prefix) + card (root) + -itis (suffix) / Cytology = cyt(o) (root) + -logy (suffix) /
Gastroenterology = gastr(o) (root) + enter(o) (root) + -logy (suffix) /Adenoma = aden(o) (root) +
oma (suffix).

The second most productive type of word-formation is compounding. A compound word is a fixed
expression made up of more than one word, e.g.: human being, blood donor, hay fever, Black Death.
While in German compound words are easily recognizable because they are always written together,
in English writing of the compound words varies. Compound words may be written:

1. As two/three words: blood pressure, blood group, heart attack, sleep walker, central nervous
system.

2. With a hyphen: life-span, collar-bone, birth-control.

3. As one word: gallstone, haemophilia, leucocytopenia, pseudopolycytemia.

There are no strict rules for writing the compound word. Occasionally some terms are written with
a hyphen, as two separate words or one word. For instance: life span – life-span; gall bladder –
gallbladder. Composition seems to be older than derivation from a diachronic viewpoint because the
word- forming affixes developed from independent words.

While derivation and compounding prevailed in the past and preferred Latin and Greek roots and
affixes, nowadays a syntactic way prevails – the forming of multi-word phrases, e.g. Acquired
Immune Deficiency Syndrome, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which successively undergo
process of abbreviation because they are too long and uneconomical.
Conversion or zero derivation is the third most used: This involves changing the part of speech
of a word without changing its form. For example, "email" can be used as both a noun and a verb. I
will text you later-His run was impressive-The good in people is inspiring
The fourth type of word-formation is abbreviation. An abbreviation is a shortened form of a word
or phrase. There are many ways of forming abbreviations. Usually but not always, they consist of a
letter or group of letters taken from a word or phrase.

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 Many English abbreviations have become internationally so well-known that many
laymen may not know their English full forms (AIDS, HIV). For instance, terms from
biochemistry such as: deoxyribonucleic acid " DNA, ribonucleic acid " RNA, adenosine triphosphate "
ATP; clinical medicine: acute lymphocytic leukaemia " ALL, etc.
Keep in mind that we also have other ways of word formations such as Clipping, Blending and
Backformation

II. Structure of Medical Terms:

Medical terminology is structured into three primary parts: the word root, the prefix and the
suffix. The word root is generally located in the middle of the word and signifies the basic meaning.
The prefix comes before the word root and identifies the word's meaning by revealing further
information about location and area of the body. The suffix, at the end of a word, works as an
inflectional ending that conveys definite features, including the circumstances, development and
protocol regarding the condition. Medical terms can contain multiple root words, combining vowels
(usually O or I and less frequently U) which are used between two elements of a medical term to
make the term easier to pronounce.

1. The Most Common Prefixes:

1) Numbers:

Many times, you will encounter a medical term that contains a prefix that describes a number. Here
are a few of the most common.

Prefix Meaning Example

Mono-, uni- One Unilateral

Multi Many Multifactorial

Bi- Two Bilateral

Tri- Three Triplicate
Poly Many Polyarteritis
Semi Half/partial Semi -
allogeneic
Hemi half Hemiplegia

Iso Same, equal Isometropia

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 2) Directions and Positions and sizes:

In medicine, you often encounter terms that describe where a procedure or condition takes place on
the body, as well as descriptions of the location and the size of things.

Prefix Meaning Example

Ab- Away from Abduction
Ad- Toward Adduction

Ecto-, exo- Outside Ectoparasite

Endo- Inside Endoderm
Epi- Upon Epinephrine

Exo- outside Exogenous

Inter Between Intervertebral disk

intra Within, into Intravenous

Macro large Macrocytic anaemia

Micro small Microsurgery

Para Nearby Parasite

Trans across Transplant

There is also a number of positional and directional medical terms, which are not suffixes or
prefixes, but are instead standalone words. Here is a short medical billing terminology list of some of
the most valuable.

Word Meaning Example

At or near the front surface of
Anterior or ventral “Anterior nerves”
the body
At or near the real surface of
Posterior or dorsal “Dorsal surface of the hand”
the body
Superior Above “Superior (cranial) aspect”

Inferior Below “Inferior aspect”

Lateral Side “Lateral aspect”

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 Distal Farthest from centre “Axons distal to the injury”

Proximal Nearest to centre Proximal end of the forearm”

3) Colour Prefixes:

These prefixes are used to describe whatever root they come before, knowing them would help paint an
image of the actual material (parasite, organ, disease) being studied
Prefix Meaning Example
Erythro Red Erythrocyte

Chloro Green Chlorophyll

Cyano Blue Cyanobacteria

Flav Yellow Flavivirus,
Flavonoid
Leuko White Leukocytes

Melan Black Melanoma

Poli Gray Poliomyelitis

4) Organ Prefixes:
Organ prefixes or roots are all over the medical terminology, be it a procedure, a disease or a condition, so
getting a hold over these words would expand your vocabulary arsenal
Prefix Meaning Example
Arthro Joint Arthritis

Cardio Heart Cardiomegaly

Cholescysto Gallbladder Cholecystitis

Colo Large intestines(colon) Coloscopy

Entero Intestines Enteropathy

Esophago Esophagus Esophagectomy

Gastro Stomach Gastroenteritis

Hepato- Liver Hepatoma

Masto-/Mammo Mammary gland Mastectomy

Myelo Bone marrow Myeloma

Myo-/Myoso- Muscle Myocardium

Nephro Kidney Nephrosclerosis

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 Osteo bone Osteonecrosis

Pulmo-/Pneumo- Lung Pneumonia

Spin Spine Spinocerebellar ataxia

Splen spleen Splenectomy

5) Basic Anatomy Prefixes:

This medical billing terminology list will help you navigate the CPT and ICD manuals, decipher
doctor’s reports, and give you a more thorough understanding of the medical practice in general. Let’s
look now at a few basic terms for the regions of the body. You might recognize some of them.

Prefix Meaning Example

A The absence / without “Afebrile”
An No or without “Anaemia”

Dia Through and by “Diagnose”

Endo Inside “Endoscopy”
Hyper/hypo High/ low “Hypertension/hypotension”

Distal Farthest from centre “Axons distal to the injury”

Proximal Nearest to centre Proximal end of the forearm”

Intercostal (between the ribs)-Intravenous (within the vein)-Preoperative (before

operation)-Postoperative (after operation)-subcutaneous (under the skin)

6) Conditions:
Now that we have looked at the terms that describe the major regions of the body, let us turn to
some conditions that may affect those body parts in this medical terminology list.

Prefix Meaning Example

Angio Arteries Angioplasty

Ambi- Both Ambidextrous

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 Cephal- Head Cephalgia

Cerv Neck Cervical vertebra

Cyto Cell Cytokine

Derm Skin Dermatitis

Dys- Bad, painful, difficult Dyslexia

Eu- Good, normal Eukaryote

Hemo Blood Haemodialysis

Homeo Body Homeostasis

Homo- Same Homogenous

Iso- Equal, same Isotope

Mal- Bad, poor Malnutrition

Myo-Sarco muscle Myopathy

Osteo Bone Osteoarthritis

pyo Pus Pyopneumothorax

pyr Fever and heat Pyrosis

Thrombo Clot Thrombosis

Thoraco Chest Thoracotomy

2. Most Common Suffixes:

1) Regarding processes:

Suffix Meaning Example

-algia/algersia Pain Myalgia

-ase Enzyme Aminotransferase

-cide killing Fungicide

-emia Blood Hypoglycaemia

-emesis vomiting Hematemesis

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 -genic producing Carcinogenic

-itis Inflammation Bronchitis

-ism State Hyperthyroidism

-lith Stone Gastrolith

-lysis/-lytic Destruction, break down Dialysis

-megaly Enlarged Splenomegaly

-oma Tumour Hepatoma

-osis Condition Nephrosis

-pathy Disease of Neuropathy

-philia Love of Haemophilia

-phobia Fear of Claustrophobia

-pnea Air Dyspnoea

-stomy Create an opening Tracheostomy

-stasis Normal/Slow Venostasis

-tension Pressure Hypertension

-trophy Growth Hypertrophy

-uria urination Haemoglobinuria

Angiography (examination of the blood)-Angioplasty (a surgical repair of the

blood)- cardiology (the study of the heart)-cardiologist (the specialist of heart diseases)-
gastroscopy (visual examination, of the stomach)-Nephrosis (abnormal condition of the
kidney)-neural (pertaining to the nerve)

2) Suffixes Related to Surgical Procedures:

Here are one of the most common surgical procedures. These vocabulary terms are a small but
useful addition to this section:

Suffix Meaning Example

-centesis Puncture a cavity to remove fluid Amniocentesis

-ectomy Surgical removal or excision Gastrectomy

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 -gram recording Esophagram

-ostomy A new permanent opening Tracheostomy

-otomy Cutting into, incision Gastrotomy

-orrhaphy Surgical repair or suture Cardiorrhaphy

-opexy Surgical fixation Nephropexy

-oplasty Surgical repair Rhinoplasty

-otripsy Crushing or destroying Lithotripsy

-plasty Surgical repair Angioplasty

-scopy To view Spectroscopy

-therapy treatment Chemotherapy

3. The Plural Forms:

Terms that retain their Latin form are usually, but not always, pluralized as in the parent language.
Whereas we form the plural of an English noun by adding -s or -es (with a few exceptions such as
children), the plural of a Latin noun may be formed in various ways depending on the class or
declension to which the noun belongs.

Rule one: Terms that end in "a", for plural add an "e". Example: vertebra (singular),
vertebrae (plural).
Rule Two: Terms that end in "is", for plural change it to "es". Example: diagnosis
(singular), diagnoses (plural). Psychosis (psychoses).
Rule Three: Terms that end in "ex" or "ix" for plural replace with "ices". Example:
cervix (singular), cervices (plural). Cortex (cortices).
Rule Four: Terms that end in "on" for plural replace it with "a". Example: criterion
(singular), criteria (plural). Ganglion (ganglia)
Rule Five: Terms that end in "um" for plural replace it with "a". Example: bacterium
(singular), bacteria (plural). Serum (sera); ovum (ova)
Rule Six: Terms that end in "us" for plural replace it with "i". Example: bronchus (singular), bronchi
(plural). Thrombus (thrombi); calculus (calculi)
Rule Seven: Terms that end in "itis" for plural replace it with "itides". Example: arthritis
(singular), arthritides (plural).
Rule Eight: Terms that end in "nx" for plural replace it with "nges". Example: phalanx
(singular), phalanges (plural).
Rule Nine: Terms that end in "y" for plural replace it with "ies". Example: therapy
(singular), therapies (plural).

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 Rule Ten: Terms that end in "x" for plural replace it with "ces". Example: thorax
(singular), thoraces (plural).

III. Tips and Tricks in Learning Medical

Terminology:
Mastering this language is a complex task, but with the appropriate learning resources and some
valuable tricks there is no reason why you should not be able to learn medical terminology quickly and
effectively.

Utilizing Rules to Your Advantage:

Breaking down medical terminology to its building blocks will aid in formulating the definition,
rather than just remembering it.

Make Flash Cards:

Medical terminology is usually taught by body system, so for each system make flash cards that
can help you study. Write the medical term on the front of the card and its definition on the back.

When you look at a particular term, you can guess the definition and then check if it is correct. The
final goal here is to get to a point where you will not have to check if you are correct.

This repetitive study method will help you learn the medical terminology through visualization. And
the process of making the cards will be as valuable as studying them.

Use The Medical Dictionary:

Using the medical dictionary will enrich your vocabulary and deepen your understanding of the
meanings and use of medical terms. Look up each new word and see what language it comes from and
how it is pronounced. Do some further research and see how else this particular word is used other than
the examples given in the context of medicine.

Play Games:

There are a variety of games and quizzes that can help you learn medical terminology through
practice. They also introduce a little fun to tiring theoretical learning.

Multiple choice, memory and matching games are a perfect fit when trying to learn terminology.
Nowadays, there are plenty of software applications for Android and iPhone smartphones that are
designed exclusively for students to help them learn and practice.

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”
Aristotle.

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