The roots, as always, are essential medical terminology knowledge because once you master these roots (those good ol’ Greek and Latin ones, that is), you can break down any skeletal-related word and discover its meaning. Once you’ve gotten to know the specific parts of the skeletal system a bit better, it’s time to put your expertise into practice by breaking down the root words into meanings and useful applications.
Here’s a list of important skeletal system root words and combining forms.
| Root Word | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Kyph/o | Humpback (posterior curvature of thoracic spine) |
| Lamin/o | Lamina (part of the vertebral arch) |
| Lord/o | Curve or swayback (lordosis: anterior curvature in lumbar spine) |
| Lumb/o | Lower back, lumbar region |
| Myel/o | Bone marrow |
| Oste/o | Bone |
| Orth/o | Straight |
| Scoli/o | Crooked, bent (scoliosis: lateral curvature of spine) |
| Spondyl/o | Vertebra (referring to conditions of the structure) |
| Vertebr/o | Vertebra (referring to or describing the structure) |
Familiarize yourself with this list of the combining forms used with bones.
| Combining Form | Example | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Acetabul/o | Acetabulum | Hip joint |
| Calcane/o | Cancaneus | Heel |
| Carp/o | Carpals | Wrist bones |
| Clavic/o, clavicul/o | Clavicle | Collar bone |
| Cost/o | Costal | Ribs |
| Crani/o | Cranium | Skull |
| Femor/o | Femur | Upper leg bone |
| Fibul/o | Fibula | Lower leg bone |
| Humer/o | Humerus | Upper arm bone |
| Ili/o | Ilium | Pelvic bone |
| Ischi/o | Ischium | Pelvic bone |
| Lumb/o | Spine | Lumbar region |
| Malleol/o | Malleolus | Ankle |
| Mandibul/o | Mandible | Lower jaw |
| Maxill/o | Maxilla | Upper jaw |
| Metacarp/o | Metacarpals | Bones of hand |
| Metatars/o | Metatarsals | Bones of foot |
| Olecran/o | Olecranon | Elbow |
| Patell/o | Patella | Knee cap |
| Phalang/o | Phalanges | Bones of fingers and toes |
| Pub/o | Pubis | Portion of pelvic bone |
| Radi/o | Radius | Lower arm bone |
| Sacr/o | Sacrum | Sacral area of spine |
| Scapul/o | Scapula | Shoulder blade |
| Stern/o | Sternum | Breastbone |
| Tars/o | Tarsals | Ankle bones |
| Tibi/o | Tibia | Lower leg bone |
| Uln/o | Ulna | Lower arm bone |
Now, check out this list of the combining forms used with joints.
| Combining Form | What It Means |
|---|---|
| Arthr/o | Joint |
| Articul/o | Joint |
| Burs/o | Bursa |
| Chondr/o | Cartilage |
| Disk/o | Intervertebral disk |
| Fibros/o | Fibrous |
| Menisc/o | Meniscus |
| Synovi/o | Synovium |
| Ten/o, tend/o, tendin/o | Tendon |