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PowerPoint to accompany

Essentials of Medical Language

Allan, Lockyer

Chapter 1:The Anatomy of

Word Construction:The Essential Elements of the

Language of Medicine

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The Anatomy of Word Construction:

The Essential Elements of the Language of Medicine

Lesson 1.1: The Construction of Medical Words

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Roots and Combining Vowels

• All medical terms have one or more roots.

• The root provides the meaning of the word.

• Example: – The word pneumonia has the root pneumon-,

meaning lung or air.

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Roots and Combining Vowels

• Roots are often joined to other elements of a medical term by placing a combining vowel on the end of the root.

• A root plus a combining vowel creates a combining form.

• Example: pneum + o pneum/o

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Keynote

• Throughout this textbook, the combining vowel will be separated from the root by a slash (/) whenever the term is being analyzed.

• Example: respir/a

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Combining Forms

pneum- -o- pneum/o

root combining combining

vowel form

pulmon- -o- pulmon/o

root combining combining

vowel form

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Keynote

Different roots can have the same meaning.

Pulmon- and pneumon- both mean lung.

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Element Review

• Identify the elements of the following word:

- pneumothorax

pneum / -o- / thorax

root combining root

vowel

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Suffix

• A suffix is an element added to the end of a root or combining form to give it a new meaning.

• If the suffix begins with a consonant, it must follow a combining vowel.

• If the suffix begins with a vowel, no combining vowel is needed.

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Suffix

pulmon –ary root + suffix

= pulmonary, pertaining to the lung

pulmon/o –logy root + combining vowel + suffix

= pulmonology, study of the lung

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Suffix

–ia a condition of

pneumonia, a condition (infection) of the lung

–ation a process

respiration, a process of breathing.

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Prefix

• A prefix is an element added to the beginning of a root or combining form to continue to expand the meaning of medical terms.

• Prefixes never require a combining vowel.

• Not every term has a prefix.

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Prefix

pre– mature

prefix + root

= premature, before the normal pregnancy

post– mature

prefix + root

= postmature, after the normal pregnancy

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Prefix

uni–

unilateral, one side of the body

bi–

bilateral, two (both) sides of the body

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Prefix

peri– perinatal, around the time of birth

epi– epigastric, above the stomach

hypo– hypogastric, below the stomach

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Prefix

micro–

microcyte, small red blood cell

macro–

macrocyte, large red blood cell

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Element Review

• Identify the prefixes and suffixes of the following word:

– perinatal

peri- - nat - - al prefix root suffix

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Element Review

• Identify the prefixes and suffixes of the following word:

– hypogastric

hypo- -gastr- -ic

prefix root suffix

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The Anatomy of Word Construction

Lesson 1.2: Word Analysis and Deconstruction

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Word Deconstruction

• When you see an unfamiliar medical term, first identify the suffix.

– cardiologist

The suffix is -logist, one who studies and is a specialist in. Cardi/o is the combining form for heart.

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Word Deconstruction

• Use deconstruction to determine the meaning of the following word:

– myocardial

The suffix is -al, pertaining to; my/o is the combining form for muscle; and cardi means heart.

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Element Review

• Identify the elements of the following word:

– cardiomyopathy

cardi/o- -my/o- -pathy

combining combining suffix

form form

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Pronunciations

• Correct pronunciation of medical terms is essential so that other health professionals can understand what you are saying.

• It is a most important component in ensuring patient safety and providing high-quality patient care.

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Pronunciations

• Some words that are pronounced the same are spelled differently.

For example: Both ilium and ileum are pronounced

ILL -ee-um.

The ilium is a bone in the pelvis The ileum is a segment of the small intestine.

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Pronunciations

• Some words sound the same if incorrectly pronounced.

For example:The term prostate, pronounced PROSS-tate, refers to the gland at the base of the male bladder.

The term prostrate means to be physically weak or exhausted or to lie flat on the ground.

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Plurals

• Plural endings for medical terms do not simply involve adding an “s.”

• Plural endings must be memorized.

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Plural Examples• Refer to Table 1.1 of the text, page 12.

Singular Ending Plural Ending Examples

-a -ae axilla

axillae

-is -es diagnosis

diagnoses

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Keynote

• Many words, when they are written or pronounced, have an element that if misspelled or mispronounced gives the intended word an entirely different meaning.

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Keynote

• Consider the case of confusing hypotension (low blood pressure) with hypertension (high blood pressure)

A treatment response to the different meaning could cause a medical error and perhaps the death of a patient.

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Keynote

• Precision in written and verbal communication is essential to prevent errors in patient care.

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Final Word

• Being a health professional requires the utmost attention to detail and precision in both written documentation and verbal communication. A patient’s life can be in your hands.

• Any incorrect spelling can reflect badly on the whole health team.

• Any incorrect pronunciation and spelling can reflect badly on you as a health professional.

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Final Word• Roots provide the core meaning of medical terms.

• Roots are often joined to other elements in the medical term by placing a combining vowel on the end of the root.

• Adding a suffix or a prefix to a root can build new words with different meanings.

• Precision in communication is vitally important.