Download intro to med term - Trisha Hanka`s VTI site

An Introduction to Medical
Terminology
Student Resources
Catherinehuff.synthasite.com
Vettechinstitute.yolasite.com
Engrade.com
Classroom rules:
• No texting
• No sleeping
• Treat everyone with respect
• There is no such thing as a dumb
question
• No background talking
• Have fun
Tips for Success
1. Pay Attention
2. Interact
3. Review a little every day rather than trying to
study it all at once.
4. Make associations
5. Use flash cards
6. Draw pictures
Medical Terminology is based on breaking words down into
their basic elements.
Prefixes
Suffixes
Roots
Combining forms
DON’T PANIC: more than 75% of medical terminology is
based on Greek or Latin words. You will not be fluent by the
end of today……
Reading medical jargon is like being a CSI
agent. You must break the word down into
it’s most basic form to find the clues needed
to decipher the meaning
Prefix : the beginning part of a word
Suffix : the end part of a word
** Prefixes and Suffixes can never stand alone. You can’t
have a beginning or ending part of a word without a word.
Root : this is the foundation or basic meaning of the word.
This can appear with a prefix or suffix or between one of
each.
Combining form is a root with an added vowel, this is know
as the “combining vowel”.
Some words contain more than one root.
Each root retains it’s basic meaning.
These words are called “compound words”
Example: osteoarthritis: oste is the first root,
meaning bone, o is the combining vowel,
Arthr is the second root, meaning joint
Itis: is the suffix, meaning inflammation of
The meaning of the word is inflammation of a
bone joint.
EXAMPLES : (look in your book, page 4)
Antisepsis : Anti is the prefix : meaning without or against.
Sepsis : is the root : meaning infection
So this word means without/against infection
Antisepsis is the method of preparing a surgery site.
Hepatitis : Hepat is the root, meaning liver
Itis: is the suffix, meaning inflammation of
Hepatitis means : inflammation of the liver.
PLURALS:
In medical terminology, a plural may be formed by
changing the ending of the word
See examples on page 5
SPELLING : spelling counts!!!!!!!
Some words sound alike but are spelled differently
EXAMPLE :
ileum is a part of the intestinal tract
Ilium is a pelvic bone.
What do you know?
Blepharospasm
Endocarditis
Pyothorax
Gastritis
Urolithiasis
Cystocentesis
Polydactyl
Pseudocyesis
Hepatic lipidosis
Post prandial