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MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
lecture -2-
The main sources of medical terminology
Although medical terms have been drawn from many languages, a large majority are from Greek and
Latin. Terms of Greek origin occur mainly in clinical terminology (e.g. cardiology, nephropathia,
gastritis), Latin terms make up the majority of anatomical terminology (Nomina Anatomica) (e.g. cor,
ren, ventriculus). There are, however, terms of different origin, taken from French (e.g. massage,
passage, plaque, pipette, bougie), or from Italian (e.g. varicella, belladonna, influenza).
Greek in medical terminology
It is estimated that about three-fourths of medical terminology is of Greek
origin. The main reason for this is that the Greeks were the founders of rational
medicine in the golden age of Greek civilization in the 5th Century B.C. The
Hippocratic School and, later on, Galen (the Greek from Asia Minor who lived
in Rome in the 2nd century A.D.) formulated the theories which dominated
medicine up to the beginning of the 18th Century. The Hippocratics were the
first to describe diseases based on observation, and the names given by them
to many conditions are still used today, for example, arthritis, nephritis,
pleuritis (pleurisy).
A second reason for the large number of Greek medical terms is that the Hippocrates of Cos 5th c. B.C.
Greek language is quite suitable for the building of compound words.
When new terms were needed, with the rapid expansion of medical science
during the last centuries, Greek words or Latin words with Greek endings
were used to express the new ideas, conditions, or instruments. The new
words follow the older models so closely that it is impossible to distinguish
the two by their forms. Such recent words as appendicitis, creatinine,
cystoscope, epinephrine, streptococcus, and many others do not appear
different from the classical terms. The fact is that about one-half of our
medical terminology is less than a century old. A third reason for using the
Galen of Pergamon 2nd c. A.D. classical roots is that they form an international language.
Latin in medical terminology
Greek medicine migrated to Rome at an early date, and many Latin terms
crept into its terminology. Latin was the language of science up to the
beginning of the 18th century, so all medical texts were written in Latin.
Under the influence of the great anatomical work of Andreas Vesalius, De
humani corporis fabrica (1543), the terminology of anatomy is almost
exclusively Latin.
Andreas Vesalius A.D. 1514-1564
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MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
Pluralizing Terms
Most English plurals are formed by adding -s or -es to a word. This is also true
of many medical terms (cancer, cancers; abscess, abscesses). However, medical
terms derived from ancient Greek and Latin often use the regular plural forms
from those languages (bursa, bursae; embolus, emboli). Throughout time,
some of these ancient plural forms have been replaced by adding -s or -es. As
you study the text, you will learn which plurals are commonly used as well
as irregular plurals (foot, feet; tooth, teeth).
GUIDELINES
TO
UNUSUAL PLURAL FORMS
Guideline
Singular
Plural
If the singular term ends in the suffix -a, the plural
is usually formed by changing the ending to -ae.
bursa
vertebra
bursae
vertebrae
If the singular term ends in the suffix -ex or -ix, the
plural is usually formed by changing these endings
to -ices.
appendix
index
appendices
indices
If the singular term ends in the suffix -is, the plural
is usually formed by changing the ending to -es.
diagnosis
metastasis
diagnoses
metastases
If the singular term ends in the suffix -itis, the plural
is usually formed by changing the -is ending to -ides.
arthritis
meningitis
arthritides
meningitides
If the singular term ends in the suffix -nx, the plural
is usually formed by the -x ending to -ges.
phalanx
meninx
phalanges
meninges
If the singular term ends in the suffix -on, the plural
is usually formed by changing the ending to -a.
criterion
ganglion
criteria
ganglia
If the singular term ends in the suffix -um, the plural
usually is formed by changing the ending to -a.
diverticulum
ovum
diverticula
ova
If the singular term ends in the suffix -us, the plural
is usually formed by changing the ending to -i.
alveolus
malleolus
alveoli
malleoli
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MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
WHAT DID YOU SAY?
Proper pronunciation of medical terms takes time and
practice. Listening to how words are pronounced by
medical professionals and using medical dictionaries
and textbooks are the best ways to learn pronunciation.
There will be individual variations in geographic location or personal preference. Medical dictionaries also
vary in how they present pronunciation of medical
terms. Some sources mark the syllable receiving the
greatest emphasis with a primary accent () and the
syllable receiving the second most emphasis with a secondary accent (). Other sources boldface and capitalize the syllable receiving the most emphasis, and other
sources do not emphasize syllables.
General Pronunciation Guidelines
Vowels can either be short or long (Table 1–3).
Consonants are generally pronounced as in other
English words.
DOES SPELLING COUNT?
Be aware of spelling when using medical terminology.
Changing one or two letters can change the meaning of
a word. Hepatoma is a liver mass, whereas hematoma
is a mass or collection of blood. The urethra takes
urine from the urinary bladder to the outside of the
body, whereas ureters collect urine from the kidney
and transport it to the urinary bladder. Medical terms
may be pronounced the same but have different meanings, so spelling is important. For example, ileum and
ilium are pronounced the same. However, ileum is the
distal part of the small intestine (e = enter/o or e =
eating), whereas ilium is part of the pelvic bone (pelvic
has i in it). Some medical terms actually have the same
spelling as terms used for other body parts. For
example, the combining form myel/o represents the
spinal cord and bone marrow (it originates from the
term meaning white substance). Other terms have
different spellings depending on how the term is used
grammatically. For example, when used as a noun
mucus (the slimy stuff secreted from mucous membranes) is spelled differently than when it is used as an
adjective (as in mucous membrane).
When you are looking a medical term up in the
dictionary, spelling plays an important role.
TABLE 1–3
Pronunciation of Guide
Vowel
“a” at the end of a word
“ae” followed by r or s
“i” at the end of a word
“oe”
Sound
ah
ah
ı̄
eh
“oi”
“eu”
“ei”
“ai”
“au”
oy
ū
ı̄
ay
aw
Example
idea
aerobic
bronchi
oestrogen (old
English form)
sarcoid
euthanasia
Einstein
air
auditory
Exceptions to Consonant Pronunciations
Consonant
Example
“c” before e, i, and y
“c” before a, o, and u
“g” before e, i, and y
“g” before a, o, and u
“ps” at beginning of word
“pn” at beginning of word
“c” at end of word
“cc” followed by i or y
Sound
s
k
j
g
s
n
k
first c k,
second
cs
“ch” at beginning of word k
“cn” in middle of word
both c (pronounce k)
and n (pronounce ehn)
“mn” in middle of word both
m and n
“pt” at beginning of word t
“pt” in middle of word
both p and t
“rh”
r
“x” at beginning of word z
cecum
cancer
genetic
gall
psychology
pneumonia
anemic
accident
chemistry
gastrocnemius
amnesia
pterodactyl
optical
rhinoceros
xylophone
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MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY
T a b l e 1 - 1 Pronunciation Guideline Chart
“Sounds Like”
Observation
Example Word
Pronunciation
Words beginning with
the “f” sound
Notice if the word begins with f.
Notice if the word begins with ph.
febrile
physiology
“FEE-brill”
“fizz-ee-ALL-oh-gee”
Words beginning with
the “j” sound
Notice if the word begins
Notice if the word begins
and is followed by an e.
Notice if the word begins
and is followed by an i.
Notice if the word begins
and is followed by a y.
with j.
with g
jejunum
genesis
“jee-JOO-num”
“JEN-ee-sis”
with g
gingivitis
“jin-jih-VYE-tis”
with g
gyrus
“JYE-russ”
Words beginning with
the “k” sound
Notice if the word begins with k.
Notice if the word begins with c.
Notice if the word begins with ch.
Notice if the word begins with qu.
kyphosis
cornea
chorion
quadruplet
“ki-FOH-sis”
“KOR-nee-ah”
“KOR-ree-on”
“kwah-DROOP-let”
Words beginning with
the “n” sound
Notice if the word begins with n.
Notice if the word begins with pn.
Notice if the word begins with kn.
neonatal
pneumonia
knee
“nee-oh-NAY-tl”
“new-MOH-nee-ah”
“NEE”
Words beginning with
the “s” sound
Notice if the word begins with s.
Notice if the word begins with c.
Notice if the word begins with ps.
sarcoma
cervix
psychology
“sar-KOM-ah”
“SIR-viks”
“sigh-KALL-oh-jee”
Words beginning with
the “sk” sound
Notice if the word begins with sk.
Notice if the word begins with sc.
Notice if the word begins with sch.
skeleton
sclera
schizophrenia
“SKELL-eh-ton”
“SKLAIR-ah”
“skiz-oh-FREN-ee-ah”
Words beginning with
the “z” sound
Notice if the word begins with z.
Notice if the word begins with x
zygomatic
xanthoma
“zeye-go-MAT-ik”
“zan-THOH-mah”
TABLE 1-1 Silent Letters and Unusual Pronunciations
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LETTER(S)
ch
PRONUNCIATION
k
dys
dis
eu
u
gn
n
ph
f
pn
n
ps
s
pt
t
rh
r
x
z
EXAMPLE
chemical
KEM-i-kl
dystro_phy_
DIS-tro -f e
euphoria
_
_
u-FOR-e -a
gnathic
NATH-ik
pharmacy_
FAR-ma-se
pneumonia
–
nu–-MO -ne–-a
pseudo_ _
SU -do
ptosis
_
TO-sis
rheumatic
_
ru-MAT-ik
xiphoid
ZIF-oyd
DEFINITION OF EXAMPLE
pertaining to chemistry
poor nourishment of tissue
exaggerated feeling of well-being
pertaining to the jaw
a drug dispensary
inflammation of the lungs
false
dropping
pertaining to rheumatism, a disorder of
muscles and joints
pertaining to cartilage attached to the
sternum