Once you know the specific parts of the cardiovascular and lymphatic systems a bit better, it’s time to put your medical terminology expertise into practice. Here’s a list of cardio roots, prefixes, and suffixes. It also gives an example medical term for each.
| Root Word | What It Means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Aort/o | Aorta | Aortic |
| Angi/o | Vessel | Angiogram |
| Arteri/o | Artery | Arteriosclerosis |
| Arteriol/o | Arteriole | Arteriolitis |
| Ather/o | Yellow plaque or fatty substance | Atherosclerosis |
| Atri/o, atri/a | Atrium | Atrioventricular |
| Cardi/o | Heart | Cardiomegaly |
| Coron/o | Heart | Coronary |
| Ox/o, ox/i | Oxygen | Oximeter |
| Phleb/o | Vein | Phlebitis |
| Pulmon/o | Lung | Pulmonary |
| Scler/o | Hardening | Sclerotherapy |
| Thromb/o | Clot | Thrombus |
| Valv/o, valvul/o | Valve | Valvular |
| Vas/o | Vessel | Vasoconstriction |
| Ven/o | Vein | Venotomy |
| Venul/o | Venule | Venulitis |
| Ventricul/o | Ventricle | Ventricular |
| Prefix or Suffix | What It Means | Example |
| Brady | Slow | Bradycardia |
| Tachy | Fast | Tachycardia |
| -graph | Instrument used to record | Electrocardiograph |
| -graphy | Process of recording | Electrocardiography |
| -gram | Picture or finished record | Electrocardiogram |
Check out this list of lymphatic roots and suffixes.
| Root Word | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Bas/o | Base (opposite of acid) |
| Eosin/o | Red, rosy |
| Erythr/o | Red |
| Granul/o | Granules |
| Hem/o, Hemat/o | Blood |
| Immun/o | Safe, protection |
| Kary/o | Nucleus |
| Leuk/o | White |
| Lymph/o | Lymph |
| Lymphaden/o | Lymph gland |
| Lymphangi/o | Lymph vessels |
| Mon/o | One, single |
| Morph/o | Shape, form |
| Myel/o | Bone marrow |
| Neutr/o | Neither, neutral |
| Nucle/o | Nucleus |
| Phleb/o | Vein |
| Sider/o | Iron |
| Spher/o | Globe or round |
| Splen/o | Spleen |
| Thromb/o | Clot |
| Thym/o | Thymus |
| Suffix | What It Means |
| -apheresis | Removal |
| -blast | Immature |
| -cytosis | Condition of cells |
| -emia | Blood condition |
| -globin | Protein |
| -globulin | Protein |
| -phoresis | Carrying, transmission |
| -poiesis | Formation |
| -stasis | Stop or control |
Hundreds of medical terms can be created by using the roots, prefixes, and suffixes mentioned in the previous tables. Here are some common cardiovascular and lymphatic vocabulary words.
| Word | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Anticoagulant | Agent or drug that slows the clotting process |
| Aorta | Largest artery in the body |
| Atrium, Atria | Upper chambers of the heart |
| Auscultation | Hearing sounds in the body through a stethoscope |
| Blood pressure | Pressure exerted by blood against the vessel walls |
| Capillary | Smallest blood vessel |
| Cardiac | Pertaining to the heart |
| Cardiologist | Physician who studies and treats diseases of the heart |
| Cardiology | Study of the heart and its diseases |
| Cardiopulmonary resuscitation: | (CPR) Emergency procedure consisting of artificial ventilation and external cardiac massage |
| Coronary arteries: | The blood vessels that branch from the aorta to carry oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle |
| Diastole | The relaxation phase of the heart beat |
| Endocardium | Inner lining of the heart |
| Erythrocyte | Red blood cell |
| Hematologist | Physician who studies and treats diseases of the blood |
| Hematology | Study of the blood |
| Hemolysis | Breakdown of blood |
| Hemostasis | Stoppage of bleeding |
| Immunoglobulins | Antibodies secreted by plasma cells |
| Leukocyte | White blood cell |
| Manometer | Instrument used to measure pressure of fluid |
| Mitral valve | Valve between the left atrium and left ventricle |
| Myelogenous | Produced by the bone marrow |
| Occlude | To be closed tightly |
| Percussion | Tapping of the body surface with fingers to determine density of the part beneath |
| Peyer’s patches | Lymphatic filters located in the small intestine |
| Pulmonary arteries | Arteries carrying oxygen-poor blood from the heart to lungs |
| Pulmonary circulation | Flow of blood from the heart to the lungs and back to the heart |
| Pulmonary veins | Veins carrying oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart |
| Sinoatrial (S-A) node | Pacemaker of the heart |
| Sphygmomanometer | Instrument used to measure blood pressure |
| Systemic circulation | Flow of blood from body cells to the heart and then back out of the heart to the cells |
| Systole | Contracting phase of the heartbeat |
| Thrombocyte | Clotting cell or platelet |
| Venae cavae | The largest veins in the body; the superior and inferior bring blood into the right atrium |
