Does medical terminology have you scratching your head? Check out this cheat sheet for a helpful breakdown.
As you probably already know, the medical field is not home for simple terminology. But don’t let these tongue-twisting polysyllabic behemoths discourage you. Most medical terms follow a naming convention that makes even the completely unfamiliar terms decipherable. All you need to know is where to look.
The subheading reads, “Medical terms have you scratching your head? Your first step is to break it down.” The infographic then provides an example using the word “otorhinolaryngology”. The prefix, “ot/o” is related to the ear, “rhino” is related to the nose, laryng/o is related to the larynx and “logy” is the study of something. One could then deduce that “otorhinolaryngology” is the study of the ear, nose and larynx.
Beneath the example, the texts reads that most medical terms come in two formats. The first is the combining a form of the word root + (optional) combining form of word root + suffix, while the second applies the prefix + combining form of word root + (optional) combining form of root word + suffix.
The text also defines prefix and suffix. A prefix is found before a combining form of a word root and usually will indicate a location, time, number or status of the word root.
Prefix
Meaning
Example
A-, an-
Lack of, without, not
Analgesic – “without pain”
Dys-
Bad, painful, difficult
Dysrhythmia – “abnormal physiological rhythm”
Hyper-
Above, excessive, beyond
Hypertension – “high bloog pressure”
Hyp-, hypo-
Below, beneath, deficient
Hypoglycemia – “low blood sugar”
Macro-
Large
Macrocephaly – “large head”
Micro-, micr-
Tiny, small
Microcephaly – “small head”
Post-
After, or following, behind
Postoperative – “after a surgical operation”
Pre-, pro-
In front of, before, preceding
Preoperative – “prior to a surgical operation”
Retro-
Behind, backward
Retrocardiac – “located behind the heart”
![The Medical Terminology “Cheat Sheet” Every Healthcare Pro Needs [Infographic] | Rasmussen University](/public/icons/placeholder.png){kind=icon}
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