Jennifer L. Dorsey

Grasping medical terminology starts with knowing the body’s systems, recognizing medical root words commonly used, understanding the Greek influence in medical terminology, and learning those pesky hard-to-spell medical words.Your Body’s SystemsYour body is made up of many systems, each having their own vital parts that work together.

If you are just getting started learning medical terminology, prefixes and suffixes are a good launching point. Yes, there are lots more prefixes for medical terminology than you see listed here. But, to get you started, here is a quick look at some of the most common prefixes that play a huge role in both common, everyday English and medical terminology.

You need to know the medical terminology for nervous conditions. Because the nervous system is involved in so many aspects of your body’s function, the conditions that affect it can have long-lasting implications on all bodily systems. Common nervous conditions Let’s take a look at some of the pathological conditions pertaining to the central nervous system: Aphasia involves loss or impairment of the ability to speak.

The root of a word is its main part and core meaning. These common medical root words give you a general idea of what you’re dealing with or specify a body part. Abdomin/o: Abdomen Aden/o: Gland Anter/o: Front Arteri/o: Artery Audi/o: Hearing Bio: Life Brachi/o: Arm Bronch/i, bronch/o: Br

The makeup of the male reproductive system, with all its tubes, ducts, and medical terms can be complicated and subject to several types of conditions. Make sure you’re familiar with the vocabulary. Pathological male reproductive conditions Here are some of the pathological conditions associated with the male reproductive system: Adenocarcinoma of the prostate: Malignant tumor of the prostate; second most common cause of cancer deaths in men over 50; radical (complete) prostatectomy along with radiation and chemotherapy is the most common treatment Andropathy: Diseases of the male Anorchism: The state of absence of a testicle, one or both Aspermia: Condition of absence of sperm Balanocele: Protrusion of glans penis (through rupture of prepuce) Balanitis: Inflammation of glans penis Balanorrhea: Excessive discharge from the glans penis, often the first symptom of a sexually transmitted disease BPH (benign prostatic hypertrophy/hyperplasia): Enlargement or excessive development of prostate gland in males over 60 years of age, can cause a urinary obstruction with inability to empty the bladder completely or all at once; surgical treatment is prostatectomy Cryptorchidism: Undescended testicle (crypt meaning “hidden”); two months before birth, testicles should descend into scrotal sac Epididymitis: Inflammation of the epididymis Epispadias: Congenital (present at birth) opening of the male urethra on the upper surface of penis Erectile dysfunction: Inability of male to attain or maintain an erection to perform sexual intercourse Hydrocele: Hernia or sac of fluid in the testis or in the tube leading from the testis, can occur in infancy and usually resolves during the first year of life Hypospadias: Congenital opening of the male urethra on the undersurface of the penis (present at birth) Impotence: Lack of power to obtain erection or to copulate Oligospermia: Condition of scanty sperm (in seminal fluid) Orchitis/orchiditis: Inflammation of testes or a testis Phimosis: Narrowing of the opening of the foreskin over the glans penis that does not allow the foreskin to retract, obstructing urination and causing secretions to accumulate under the prepuce, leading to infection Priapism: Prolonged abnormal erection of penis with pain and tenderness Prostatitis: Inflammation of the prostate gland Prostatocystitis: Inflammation of prostate gland and bladder Prostatolith: Stone in the prostate Prostatorrhea: Excessive discharge from the prostate Testicular carcinoma: Malignant tumor of the testis, classified according to type of tissue involved; examples: seminoma, embryonal carcinoma, and teratocarcinoma (a malignant teratoma); commonly treated with surgery: orchidectomy, radiation, and chemotherapy Testicular torsion: Twisting of spermatic cord causing decreased blood flow to testicle; occurs most often during puberty; considered a surgical emergency Varicocele: Large, herniated, swollen veins near the testis, associated with oligospermia (lower than normal amount of sperm) and infertility Male reproductive diseases and pathology Unfortunately, some of the most common diseases of the male reproductive system are the kind that make headlines, and not in a good way.

You will need to know all about the lymphatic system and the medical terminology related to it. The lymphatic system is most directly associated with immunity. Once cleaned by the lymph nodes, lymphatic fluid is released directly into the bloodstream. Lymph vessels are arranged in a similar pattern as the blood vessels, but work to clear the body of impurities.

Your journey through medical terminology will take you far and wide, and will require that you know terms for all parts of the body. The following terms explore the outside of the body. Root Word What It Means Example(s) Blephar/o Eyelid or eyelash Blepharoplasty: Surgical repair of the eyelids Cephal/o Head

If you are stuck on a medical term, using the suffix can help you discern some meaning. Check out some suffix examples. Suffixes related to procedures include -centesis, referring to surgical puncture to remove fluid for diagnostic purposes or to remove excess fluid. That means abdominocentesis is surgical puncture of the abdominal cavity.