ELEMENTS OF MEDICAL TERMS 1.

Prefixes related to position regarding

ROOT WORD time and place
Main part of a word 2. Prefixes describing position or location
May be a complete word in itself or 3. Prefixes related to type
part of a word 4. Prefixes describing direction
o tendonitis 5. Prefixes describing number of quantity
o mastectomy 6. Prefixes related to size and amount
o colonogram 7. Prefixes denoting to color
8. Prefixes denoting shape
THE COMBINING VOWEL 9. Prefixes denoting numbers in
Are added to word roots to aid ascending order
pronunciation and to connect the root
to the suffix SUFFIX
Word part that is added (fix) at the
COMPOUND WORDS end of a word or word part
Made of 2 or more words Derivation of the word meaning to
o newborn fasten
o eyeball o lith (stone) + tripsy (crushing) =
o headache lithotripsy, crushing of a stone

COMBINING FORMS
May be made by adding a vowel to
the root word
The components of medical words are:
Vowels are used as combining vowel
a) Prefixes
o orth(o)pedic
b) Roots
o bacteri(o)genic c) Suffixes
o quadr(i)plegic d) Combining vowels
If root word ends with a vowel, vowel e) Combining forms
is dropped
o osteo + otomy = osteotomy The use of prefixes, combining forms and
In some words, vowels cannot be suffixes
dropped
o hemi + opia = hemiopia Rule 1. Joining a combining form to a suffix?
When combining form of a root is joined to a
PREFIX suffix, the combining vowel is left in place if
A word part that is placed (fix)at the the suffix begins with a letter other than a
beginning, or front, (pre) of another vowel.
word or word part
May be a syllable, a group of syllables, Rule 2. Joining the combining forms of two
or a word word roots When the combining forms of
It is joined to the beginning of a word two roots are joined, the combining vowel of
to alter its meaning or to create a new the first root is kept in place.
word
o peri (around) + ocular (the eye) Rule 3. Joining a prefix to a root When a
= periocular prefix that ends in a vowel is added to a root
that begins with a vowel or h, the vowel of
Sets of prefixes the prefix is dropped