Medical Terminology: Latin and Greek Roots - Basics
The first things you really want to learn are the basic medical root words…knowing these will take you a long way in studying medical (and other scientific!) history, especially if you’ve never studied the subject before. And you probably already know most of these roots, even if you don’t realize it yet!
BASIC TERMINOLOGY:
-(o)logy/-(o)logist: Study of, specializing in (ex: cardiologist, biology)
**[“-ist” is someone doing something pertaining to the prefix - a phlebotomist is not a specialist in blood, simply someone who draws blood. An optomist is someone who views the world; a pessimist is someone who views the world in the worst way (from Latin pessimus: worst/bottom-most)]
-graph(y)/-gram: Recording an image, the image of (ex: mammogram, radiography)
-a/an-: absence of, without (ex: anencephaly, anemia)
-itis/-isy: Inflammation of (ex: nephritis, pleurisy)
-(o)sis: “abnormal condition (of)” (ex: cyanosis - cyan=blue coloration)
-ectomy/-otomy: To cut out, to cut into (ex: appendectomy, tracheotomy)
-(o)stomy: To make a stoma (“mouth”) in - a urostomy is a long-term opening in the urinary system, a colostomy is a long term opening in the colon or large intestine, to divert waste out of the body after the colon has been blocked or removed.
mega-/-megaly: Enlarged - not just large, but abnormally large (ex: acromegaly)
micro-/macro-: small, large (ex: microcephaly, macroglossia)
-scope/-scopy: to observe, observation of, examination of (ex: microscope, colonoscopy)
BASIC ORGAN TERMINOLOGY:
Cardio-: Heart
Cysto-/-cyst: Bladder (a bladder is any pouch or inflatable enclosure that can contain either liquid or gas - hence a “cyst” is any segregated pouch in the body, contained by a membrane, that is filled with either gas, fluids or semi-solid tissues [except for pus; a pouch filled with pus is an abscess])
Dermo/Dermato-: Skin
Entero-: Intestine
Encephalo-: Brain
Gastro-: Stomach
Glosso-/Linguo-: Tongue
Hemo-/-emia: Blood
Hystero-/Metro-: Uterus
Mammo-/Masto-: Breast
Nephro-: Kidney
Oophoro-: Ovaries
Orchido-: Testicle
Osteo-: Bone
Phlebo-/veno-: Veins
Pneumo-/pulmo-: Lungs
Procto-: Rectum/anus
Rhino-: Nose
Stomato-: Mouth
Further Reading/Sources:
Des Moines University Medical Terminology
Medlexicon
Online Etymology Dictionary
Medical Etymology of Herpes
And, of course, Antiquus Morbis
