Medical Terminology Tutorial

Medical terminology is the vocabulary or language used to depict medical procedures, conditions/diagnoses, protocols, instruments, treatments, medications and anatomical parts and structures. Medical terminology allows health-care providers to communicate with one another around the world using the same language.

Fundamentals & Origin

• Learning medical terminology can seem overwhelming at first, but like all other languages, certain standard rules apply. For the most part, medical terminology is comprised of words derived from the Greek and Latin languages. Understanding the way medical terms are formed and identifying the base of the words provides you with the foundation.

Formulating Words

• Medical terms can be broken into three distinct parts. The first is the word root; it's generally the central part of the word (in the middle) and identifies the main meaning, condition or body part. The next is the prefix; it's found at the beginning of the word, and distinguishes a component or subdivision of the word, to advance its fundamental meaning. Lastly is the suffix; it's found at the end of the word and signifies specific features, such as the circumstances of an ailment, its progression and the intended procedure or course of action that will be used. Seeing as root words are the key to medical terminology, you'll want to familiarize yourself with them. Many online sites offer a comprehensive list of medical words that include their origin, prefix and suffix (see links below).
  Studying current medical terms and taking them apart is one of the best ways to learn the language (flashcards can also be used for this exercise). For example, the word "Myocarditis" denotes a muscle layer of the heart that is inflamed. The root word is
  "card," which stands for cardio, which means heart. The prefix is "my/mys" and means muscle, and the suffix is "itis," which signifies inflammation (dmu.edu).

Combining Forms & Modifying Word Meanings

• Combining forms are the word root plus a vowel. The most frequently-used combining form is "o" and tends to be located after the word's prefix. Again, this is best explained by seeing it on paper. Using the same example as above, we see that the Greek prefix "my/mys," the combining "o" form was added, giving us "myo." The "o" merges parts of the word to create its definition. To better illustrate, take a look at the following popular example: acr (extremity), cardio (heart) and gastr (stomach). By means of adding the combining form, "o" we get have acro/o, cardi/o and gastr/o.
  The prefix and suffix of a root word also get modified to alter the implication of a term without changing its central meaning (the root word remains the same). We can see the way "Myocarditis" can be changed by switching the prefix. Replace "myo" with "peri" (which means outer) or "endo" (meaning inner), and you'll have pericarditis and endocarditis. You should be able to have gauged their meanings, since you're familiar with the root word and the prefixes. If we keep only the root of the word--"cardio"--and change the suffix into "ologist" (physician/doctor that specializes in the heart), "pathy" (meaning damage) or "megaly" (which means enlargement), we have three completely different words: cardiologist, cardiomyopathy and cardiomegaly (medword.com).

Additional Tips

• Since the specific medical terms that are most commonly used will vary, depending on the specific area or practice a person specializes in, it's a good idea to begin with those terms that you will encounter the most. The medical terminology used by a gastroenterologist would differ from that used by a psychiatrist. Comprehending medical terminology takes a lot of time and practice. Practice by examining items such as patient records, discharge papers, procedure documents and other related papers.