Community Medicine / Medical Terminology

knowledge of elements of medical terms, understandingslandered abbreviations, being able to spell medical terms andappreciating the logical method found in analyzing medicalterms.Basic ConceptsThe majority of medical terms from Greek and Latin ancestry.Some have been adopted from modern language, especiallyGerman and French. The study of medical terminology canenrich one’s understanding of history, language and medicineIn analyzing terms, students need to understand the key conceptsthat will enable them to break terms into their componentelements (e.g., identifying roots, prefixes, suffixes, combiningform elements, and compound words). The following listpresents these key concepts:1- Root or base word element – refers to the main body ofthe word. It may be accompanied by a prefix or suffix.2- Example: adenomaAden= (base or root) = glandOma = suffix = tumorAdenoma = gland tumor2-Prefix – refer to one or two word parts placed before aword to modify or alter its meaning.Example: hemigastrectomyHemi= prefix = halfGastr (base or root) = stomachEctomy = (suffixe) = removal of half the stomach3-Suffix – one or two of word parts attached to the end of aword to modify or alter its meaning.2