3. BUILDING MEDICAL
WORDS
Medical words are like puzzles
There are three different kinds of word parts.
Combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes
4. USING WORD PARTS…
Prefixes (P): used at the beginning of a medical term.
• Describe, modify or limit the term
• Not all medical terms use prefixes
• Examples:
• an- without anesthesia
• Endo- innermost, within endotracheal
• Poly- many, much polyneuropathy
5. USING WORD PARTS…
Suffixes (S): the word ending
• Changes the meaning of a word…you can make a word a
noun, verb, or adjective
• All medical terms have a suffix
• Examples:
• -ly going toward distally
• -al pertaining to internal
• -ic pertaining to hypogastric
• -logy the study of cardiology
• -ics knowledge, practice orthopedics
6. USING WORD PARTS…
Combining Form: the basic meaning of the medical term.
Gives the word its medical meaning.
Medical terms can contain more than one combining form.
• Examples:
• pulmon/o- lung pulmonology
• cost/o- rub costal
• vertebr/o- vertebra vertebral
• lumb/o lower back lumbar
7. USING WORD PARTS
Combining Vowel
• Usually an “o”
• Used between word roots or when a suffix begins with a
consonant.
• Examples:
• Neurology
• neur/o + -logy
• Osteocyte
• oste/o + -cyte
8. DECODING MEDICAL
TERMS…
“Reading” a medical term is a step-by-step process.
Start with the suffix and define it
Next the prefix and define it
Then, go to the combining form and define
Lastly, define the word as a whole
10. PRONUNCIATION
Sometimes seeing the
actual picture, such as this
skeleton, helps in the
pronunciation of a medical
word. Words associated with
a skeleton are bones, cartilage,
joint, marrow, etc….
11.
12. • MEDICAL LANGUAGE
• A living language
• You are challenged to listen, speak, write, watch, respond, examine,
think, and make connections. (Turley, S. p. xiii)
13. THE LANGUAGE OF
MEDICINE
“There is no recognized discipline called medical linguistics,
but perhaps there ought to be one. The language of medicine
offers intriguing challenges both to medical historians and to
linguists. Classical scholars have analyzed the contents and
language of the most ancient medical records in great detail, but
the later development of medical terminology has received much
less attention.” (Wulff, MD, H. p.1)
14. MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
Important to every outlet within the medical field.
The communication pathway for all medical professionals.
Falsification or wrong use of medical terms can be costly not
only for the patient but everyone involved.
15. REFERENCES
Turley, S. (2007). Preface. In Pearson Prentice Hall (Ed.), Medical
Language (pp. xiii). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education,
Inc..
(2011). Yahoo! Image Search Results. Retrieved from
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=yf
p-t-701-s&va=nervous+system
Right Health. (2011). Righthealth.com. Retrieved from
http://www.righthealth.com/topic/Image_Of_Muscle?p=l&as=msn&ac=
529&kgl=38687204
16. REFERENCES CONT’D
Wulff, MD., H. (2004). The language of medicine. Journal of the
Royal
Society of Medicine, v.97(4), 1. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi
.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1079361/
Editor's Notes
When building medical words it is important and vital to be correct.
Suffixes are the word ending.
Combining form is the main basic meaning of the medical word. Take a look at these examples.
Take a minute and dissect the following medical terms into prefix, combining form, and suffix.
Visual aids help when trying to define, learn, and pronounce medical terms.
Diagrams can also help you in locating the actual medical term within a body system. Trachea, larynx, and bronchi are medical terms within the respiratory system.
In your textbooks, the author Susan Turley explains how medical language is a living language. Your textbook is titled by medical specialties as well as body systems.
The language of medicine changes daily with new diagnoses, new treatments, or new research. However, medical terminology has not received the attention it so desires.
This slide is self explanatory.
References are from the textbook Medical Language by Susan Turley and images are from the websites located above and on the next slide.
Does anyone have any questions for me. If not we will take a short break and meet back in fifteen minutes to go over the presentation. Thank you.
