MedTerm Basic Word Structure

Overview

  1. Basic Word Structure
    1. Combining Forms
    2. Prefix/Root/Suffix
    3. Format
    4. Homonyms

Nursing Points

General

  1. Combining Forms
    1. Root word
      1. Used to describe location/system
      2. Have at least a minimum of 1 per word
    2. Combining vowel
      1. Used to combine the root with a prefix or suffix
  2. Prefix/Root/Suffix
    1. Prefix
      1. Beginning portion of the word
      2. Influences the meaning of the word
      3. Describes size, orientation or position
    2. Root
      1. Foundation of the term
    3. Suffix
      1. Word ending
      2. All medical terms have a suffix
  3. Format
    1. Root/Suffix
      1. Begin with suffix
      2. Add root word with combining vowel
        1. Example
          1. Hematology
            1. -logy = study of
            2. hemat/o = blood
            3. hematology = study of blood
    2. Prefix/Root/Suffix
      1. Begin with suffix
      2. Add root word with combining vowel
      3. Add prefix for location, size, orientation or position
        1. Example
          1. -emia = blood condition
          2. glyc/o = glucose
          3. hyper = excessive
          4. hyperglycemia = excessive (or high) blood sugar
  4. Homonyms
    1. Words that sound the same but are different
    2. Enunciation & proper spelling
      1. “Ad” vs “ab”
        1. Adduction vs abduction
        2. Adduction means to “move toward midline”
        3. Abduction means to “move away from midline” in medical context
    3. Context
      1. When discussing medical terminology, be sure to include context
        1. Ileum vs ilium
        2. Ilium is bone = can be fractured
        3. Ileum is small intestine = can implicate GI disease
        4. i.e. an “ileum” cannot be fractured