Resource CCO Word of the Week Medical Terminology

Medical terminology allows all medical professionals to understand each other and communicate effectively. When everyone understands what a condition, medicine, or procedure is, they are able to fulfill their roles accordingly, whether that is delivering medicine or billing for medicine, or coding a chart for reimbursement.

Understanding medical terminology can improve your job performance or make you a more competitive candidate for healthcare positions.

Understanding a medical term & breaking it down into smaller pieces to help you determine the meanings of terms.

Example: Acrodermatitis

ACR/O
A combining form or prefix
with the meaning "extremities",
"top", and "height".

DERMAT/O
skin

-ITIS
inflammation

(Acr/o = extremities; dermat = pertaining to skin; -itis = inflammation).

In short, it is a skin condition that typically affects
the extremities.

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www.cco.us

 

[CarolW_73745]

Great explanation on breaking down the word Acrodermatitis. I was not familiar with the prefix ACR. Thank you!

 

[Lori]

DORSI-​

back

FLEX/O​

to bend

 

[Lori]

Prefix:
Prefix Definition:
1st Root Word: hepat/o
1st Root Definition: liver
2nd Root Word:
2nd Root Word Definition:
Suffix: -ic
Suffix Definition: pertaining to
Definition: Pertaining to the liver

 

[Lori]

HEMAT/O​

blood

HEMOGLOBIN/O​

hemoglobin

Hemoglobinuria: The presence of free hemoglobin in the urine may make the urine look dark. Normally, there is no hemoglobin in the urine. Hemoglobinuria is a sign of a number of abnormal conditions, such as bleeding and paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria.

Hemoglobinuria is a condition in which the oxygen transport protein hemoglobin is found in abnormally high concentrations in the urine. The condition is caused by excessive intravascular hemolysis, in which large numbers of red blood cells (RBCs) are destroyed, thereby releasing free hemoglobin into the plasma

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/hemoglobinuria

 

[Lori]

DUODEN/O​

duodenum

DUODEN/O​

Denoting duodenum, the first of the three portions of the small intestine. It is a C- or horseshoe-shaped structure curved around the head of the pancreas. Duodenum facilitates the breakdown and absorption of nutrients.

-STOMY​

new opening (to form a mouth)

The successful use of simple tube duodenostomy in large duodenal perforations from varied etiologies

Tube decompression of the duodenum is an old but underutilized technique known to decrease morbidity and mortality in patients with difficult to manage duodenal injuries. Broad arrays of techniques have been described in the literature and are reviewed, ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

 

[Lori]

GALACT/O​

milk

-SIS​

state of; condition

 

[CarolW_73745]

Thank you for this. I was thinking of lactose sugar in milk.

 

[Lori]

Myometrium-​

the muscular layer of the wall of the uterus

MY/O​

muscle

METRI/O​

uterus (womb)

-UM​

structure; tissue; thing

 

[Lori]

LARYNG/O​

larynx (voice box)

PHARYNG/O​

throat (pharynx)

 

[Lori]

GNOS/O​

knowledge; to know

 

[Lori]

COST/O
rib

STERN/O​

sternum (breastbone)

 

[Lori]

DYS- ​

Prefix denoting pain, difficulty, disorder, or
abnormality.

-US​

structure; thing

 

[Lori]

GASTR/O​

stomach

DUODEN/O​

Denoting duodenum, the first of the three portions of the small intestine. It is a C- or horseshoe-shaped structure curved around the head of the pancreas. Duodenum facilitates the breakdown and absorption of nutrients.

-ITIS​

inflammation

 

[Lori]

 

[Lori]

KERAT/O​

cornea; hard, horny tissue

-CELE​

hernia

 

[Lori]

LARYNG/O​

larynx (voice box)

PHARYNG/O​

throat (pharynx)

-ITIS​

inflammation

 

[Lori]

DIPL/O​

double

 

[Lori]

-HEMATOMA

Suffix

HEM/O​

blood

HEMAT/O​

blood

A localized swelling that is filled with blood caused by a break in the wall of a blood vessel. The breakage may be spontaneous, as in the case of an aneurysm, or caused by trauma. The blood is usually clotted or partially clotted, and it exists within an organ or in a soft tissue space, such as muscle.

 

[Lori]