Medical Terminology

Medical terminology refers to the words and language used specifically in the medical
and health fields. The proper definition describes medical terminology as language
used to describe anatomical structures, procedures, conditions, processes and
treatments in the medical field.

Nearly all medical terms can be broken down into three parts: the prefix, the root and
the suffix.

 Prefix — appears at the beginning of a term and indicates a location, direction,

type, quality or quantity.
 Root — can appear at the beginning of the word if prefix is absent, but the
root indicates the primary meaning of the medical term.
 Suffix — appears at the end of the word and indicates a specialty, test,
procedure, function, disorder or status.

Medical terminology is the linguistic foundation on which the entire healthcare

system is built. Because physicians are trained at varying universities and complete
their training across different hospitals and disciplines and geographies, having
a singular medical terminology system ensures that effective care is delivered while
reducing the potential for miscommunication.

 More specifically, medical terminology is important for a few reasons, both for
medical professionals and the field itself. Medical terminology courses or
certificates are usually a prerequisite for most graduate degree or certificate
programs in the healthcare field.
 For those already working in the medical field — such as medical records
specialists, radiology techs and even physicians — a refresher on traditional
and new medical terminology can be helpful and may even be required for
license renewal.

A standardized medical terminology system can improve overall hospital

operations — both in terms of data and clinical applications of such data. A second
report found that medical terminology and the usage of structured reporting
can improve the usage of medical information in secondary activities, such as research,
public health and case studies. This not only will help make research efforts more
efficient, it will likely result in better outcomes for patients and medical innovation.

Additional benefits of standardized medical terminology include:

  Ensures consistent documentation of clinical information
 Creates a streamlined system for data entry and retrieval across electronic
medical records for billing and insurance purposes
 Ensures a consistent understanding of language across the continuum of care
 Ensures that all relevant parties are educated across a universal standard
Improves patient care and safety, research and evidence-based medicine
 Helps promote efficient communication
 Helps create a seamless patient experience

Medical Terminology: Examples of Prefixes

Size
macro-,
large
mega(lo)-
micro-
small

Number
semi-
half
half (one side) hemi-
one mono-, uni-
two | three | four bi- | tri- | qua(dr/r/t)-
equal equi-
many poly-
Level
hyper-
above normal
below normal hypo-
normal/good eu-
Time or Speed
after post-
re-
again
back/backward retro-
before pro-, pre-, ante-
fast tachy-
new neo-
time, long time chron-
slow brady-

Location or Relationship
away from ab-
above supra-
around peri-
across trans-
between inter-
out of, outside ex-, ec(t)-
self auto-
through, completely dia-
together con-
toward ad-
within, inside end(o)-
Function or Quality
against anti-, contra-
bad mal-

cause eti-
self auto-
without a-, de-
not working correctly dys-

Medical Terminology: Examples of Root Words

A lot of medical terms get their roots from Latin and ancient Greek language, much
like many words in the English and romance languages. Here are some of the most
common medical root words healthcare providers must know.

Head
brain enceph
ear ot, aur
eardrum tympan, myring
eye aphthalm, ocul
face faci
nose rhin
skull crani
tongue lingu
tooth odont, dent

Heart and Circulatory

aort
aorta
arteries arteri
blood hem, sangu
blood vessels angi
heart cardi
veins ven, phleb

Bones and Muscles

brachi
arm
back dorsa
bones oste
foot pod, ped
muscles myo
rib cost
shoulder scapul
wrist carp

Digestive System
append
appendix
colon col
esophagus esophag
intestine (usually small) inter
kidney ren, neph
liver hepat
stomach gastr

Other Common Roots

cancer carci
drug chem
electric electr
heat therm
gnos
knowledge
life bi
pressure bar
returned sound echo
Medical Terminology: Examples of Suffixes
The last ingredient in a medical term is likely the suffix, which provides more specifics
about the term’s application. Here are just a few of the most important medical
suffixes to know.

Basic Noun and Adjective Suffixes

(noun form) -a, -e, -um, -is
causing -genic
condition -ia, -ism, -sis, -y
specialty -iatry, -iatrics, -ics
specialist -ian, -ist
structure -um, -us
study of -logy
-ac, -ar(y), -(e/i)al, -ic(al), -ior, -ory,
pertaining to
-ous, -tic

Tests and Procedures

-ectomy
removal of
image/record/td> -gram
making a picture -graph(y)
cut in -otomy
viewing -scopy
opening -stomy

Pathology or Function
blood (condition of) -emia
breathing -pnea
inflammation -itis
condition or disease -osis
deficiency -penia
disease -pathy
excessive flow -rrhag(e/ia)
mass/tumor –oma