Medical Terminology is a study of the basic structure of medical words, including prefixes, suffixes, word roots, combining forms, singulars and plurals. The student will be able to recognize, spell, pronounce and define medical words by combining prefixes, suffixes, and roots.

Introduction to Medical Terminology

Medical terminology is a language that is used to describe anatomical structures, processes, conditions, medical procedures, and treatments. At first glance, medical terms may appear intimidating, but once you understand the standard structure of medical words and the definitions of some common word elements, the meaning of thousands of medical terms is easily unlocked.
Most medical terms adhere to a fixed structure of a prefix, a root, and a suffix. These word components are assembled like building blocks to create a vast vocabulary.

The physicians of Greece are considered the founders of rational medicine, and medical terms are primarily derived from Greek and Latin.1 Over the centuries, the language of medicine has evolved into multiple national medical languages. Today, medical English is the primary language for international communication. It is used in most influential medical journals and has become the language of choice at international conferences.

Basic Term Structure
Medical terms are composed of the following standard word parts:
Prefix: When included, the prefix appears at the beginning of a medical term and usually indicates a location, direction, type, quality, or quantity.
Root: The root gives a term its essential meaning. Nearly all medical terms contain at least one root. When a prefix is absent, the term begins with a root.
Suffix: The suffix appears at the end of a term and may indicate a specialty, test, procedure, function, disorder, or status. Otherwise, the suffix may simply define whether the word is a noun, verb, or adjective.
Combining vowel: A combining vowel (usually the letter “o”) may be added between word parts to aid in pronunciation.