Understanding Medical Terminology: Word Elements and Common Suffixes
Medical terminology combines word roots, suffixes, prefixes, and combining forms to create meaningful terms. Learn how these elements come together in medical language, with examples such as mastectomy, psychology, and dermatology. Explore the study of various body parts and conditions through the lens of word composition.
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Basic word roots and common suffixes In medical terminology we used a word root and combine it with other word elements to form medical terms (words made up of different parts or elements) The root word mast is derived from the Greek word for breast. mast + the suffix ectomy (removal of) mastectomy means removal of the breast. Psych (from the Greek word for mind) + logy Psychology is the study of mental prosses and behavior. The suffix logy means the study of can be added to other word roots to form a number of new words. Pathology: study of disease. Dermatology: study of skin. Gerontology: study of the elderly.
Word Elements The four type of word elements that make up medical terms are: Roots, suffixes, prefixes and combining forms. Word root: reveals the central meaning of the word and frequently describes a body part. ex: the word root mast describes the breast. Periarthritis, arth: joint is the root. Suffixes: come at the end of the word. They add meaning to the root. ex: -ectomy: removal of. mastectomy, gastrectomy and arthrectomy
Prefixes: always come at the beginning of the word and will frequently suggest information about the number of parts, location of the organ, direction, time or frequency. Ex: Hyper- (over, above, excessive), peri- (around), tachy- (rapid, fast), epi- (upon, over), tri- (three) These can be added to word roots and/ or word roots with a suffix. Ex: Hypergastric (meaning above the stomach) Periarthritis (inflammation around the joint) Tachycardia (a rapid heart rate) Combining form which consists of the word root + one or more vowels, often an o , this is required to facilitate pronunciation. the vowel is used between two word roots, and also between a root and suffix when the suffix begins with a consonant. Ex: gastr/o enter -itis (inflammation of the stomach and intestines)
1. psychology: the study of mental processes and behavior 2. pathology: the study of disease processes 3. hematology: the study of blood and blood disorders 4. cardiology: the study of the heart and its diseases 5. dermatology: the study of the skin and its diseases 6. gerontology: the study of the aging process and its accompanying diseases
