MT: Chapter One

Chapter One:
 All medical terms have one or more root words
 Roots are often joined to other elements of a medical term
using a combining vowel on the end of the root
o Pneum/o
o Pulmon/o
 Different roots can have similar meanings
o Both pneum/o and pulmon/o mean lung or pertaining to
the lungs
 Suffix: element added to the end of a root or combining
form to give it a new meaning
o Pulmon-ary: pertains to the lung
o Pulmon-ology: the study of the lungs
 -ia: a condition of
o pneumonia
 -ation: a process
o Respiration
 Prefix: added to the beginning of a root word
o Pre-mature: BEFORE the normal pregnancy
o Post-mature: AFTER the normal pregnancy
 Prognosis: predict the outcome or likely course of a disease


 -emia: blood condition
 -fart: area of dead tissue
 -um: a structure of
 Common root words and examples:
o Myo: muscle; myocarditis
o Nephro: kidney; nephrology
o Neuro: nerve; neuropathy
o Pneumo: lung; pneumothorax
o Cardio: heart; cardiology
o Glyco: sugar; glycogen
o Hepato: liver; hepatology
o Artero: artery; arteriosclerosis