Post on 18-Dec-2015
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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
Hold placement for cover image.
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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.