Search results
Source: U.S. National Institutes of Health and U.S. National Library of Medicine
1. Identify the roles of the four types of word parts used in forming medical terms. 2. Use your knowledge of word parts to analyze unfamiliar medical terms. 3. Describe the steps in locating a term in a medical dictionary. 4. Define the commonly used word roots, combining forms, suffixes, and prefixes introduced in this chapter. 5.
Most medical terms contain at least one root, and they may also contain one or more prefixes or suffixes. This handout will describe how word parts create meaning to provide a strategy for decoding medical terminology and unfamiliar words in the English language.
Word Root. The word root is the main part or foundation of a word. All words have word roots. employer, employee – employ. dresser – dress In medical terminology, the root may indicate a body part or body system or colors.
Meaning. without, not away from pertaining to extremities hearing gland fat adrenal glands air pertaining to white pain anus vessel (blood, lymph) before front, anterior against aorta appendix water pertaining to artery joint fatty plague pertaining to atrium hearing ear self 2, double eyelid slow bronchus calcaneum (heel bone) calcium cancer ...
6 Root Words The main part or stem of a word is called a root word. A root word conveys the essential meaning of the word and frequently indicates a body part. With a combining form, the root word and a combining vowel such as i, e, o, or a may be combined with another root word, a prefi x, or a suffi x to describe a
Steps: Review the B.U.R.P.S. tables and try to determine the definitions of the examples. Notice the overlap among the three groups of roots, prefixes and suffixes. Make new words by changing one part of the word. For example, if an appendectomy is the removal of the appendix, then a nephrectomy is the removal of a kidney.
