Medical Terminology: Chapter 1; Defining Medical Words,Building Medical Words

Word Root, Combining Form, Suffix, and Prefix

The foundation of a medical term and contains its primary meaning. All medical terms have at least one word root. Most are derived from Greek or Latin language. Greek roots are used to build words that describe a disease, condition, treatment, or diagnosis. Latin roots are used to build words that describe anatomical structures.

Is created when a word root is combined with a vowel.The vowel,a combining vowel, is usually o but sometimes an i. The combining vowel has no meaning of its own but enables two or more word elements to be connected.

A word element placed at the end of word that changes the meaning of the word. Changing the suffix changes the meaning of the word. In medical terminology, a suffix usually describes a pathology, symptom, surgical or diagnostic procedure, or part of speech.

A word element attached to the beginning of a word or word root. However, not all medical terms have a prefix. Adding or changing a prefix changes the meaning of the word. The prefix usually indicated a number, time, position, direction, or negation.

Step 1. Define the suffix, or last part of the word. Step 2. Define the first part of the word (which may be a word root, combining form, or prefix). Step 3. Define the middle parts of the word.

Rule #1: A word links a suffix that begins with a vowel. Rule #2: A combining form (root + o) links a suffix that begins with a consonant. Rule #3: A combining form links one root to another to form a compound word. This rule holds true even though the second root begins with a vowel, as in osteoarthritis. Keep in mind that the rules for linking multiple roots to each other are slightly different from the rules linking roots and combining forms to suffixes.