If you haven’t already done so, we highly suggest printing our free lists of exterior root words, interior root words, prefixes, and suffixes. There are links to the printable lists on the last page of this course. By utilizing the lists, you should be able to identify each medical term or condition listed on the chart at the bottom of this page.
A complex medical term is like a small jigsaw puzzle. The puzzle is already put together and you need to take the pieces apart. The pieces are the prefix, root word, and suffix. Remember that not all words have both prefixes and suffixes. Some have one or the other but don’t have both.
Let’s break down a common medical term – appendicitis. We all know what appendicitis is but let’s break down the word so we can see the method involved. The root word appendic tells us the affected body part is the appendix. The suffix itis means inflammation of. Appendicitis means inflammation of the appendix.
| Common Medical Terms and Conditions | |
| Abduction | moving a body part away from the point of origin |
| Amenorrhea | without a menses or period |
| Anovulatory | ovaries not ovulating |
| Anti-inflammatory | against or opposing inflammation |
| Bilateral | both sides |
| Bradyarrhythmia | slow, irregular heart beat |
| Bradycardia | slow heart rate |
| Cardiogram | film created by a cariography |
| Cardiography | process of recording heart activity |
| Cardiomegaly | enlargement of the heart |
| Colotomy | surgery of the colon |
| Dissection | cut or slice into two parts |
| Dysfunctional | painful or difficult menstruation |
| Endoscope | instrument used for internal examination |
| Endoscopy | visual examination using an endoscope |
| Erythrocytes | red blood cells |
| Erythrocytosis | increase erythrocytes |
| Euthyroid | normal thyroid (eu means normal) |
| Febrile | having a fever |
| Gastritis | inflammation of the stomach |
| Gastrodynia | a pain in the stomach (-dynia means pain) |
| Hyperemesis | excessive vomitting |
| Hypertension | high blood pressure (hyper means high) |
| Hypotension | low blood pressure (hypo means low) |
| Infraumbilical | beneath or below the umbilicus |
| Mammogram | record of a mammography |
| Mammography | examination of the breast |
| Melanocytes | pigmentation cell in skin layer |
| Microscopic | can only be seen with a microscope |
| Neuritis | inflammation of a nerve |
| Neuropathy | a nerve condition |
| Neuroplasty | reconstruction of a nerve |
| Oligomenorrhea | low menstrual flow |
| Oliguria | infrequent urination |
| Periurethral | around the opening of the urethra |
| Polyuria | excessive urination |
| Postoperative | before an operation |
| Premenstrual | before the menstrual period begins |
| Prenatal | before giving birth |
| Preoperative | after an operation |
| Pseudocyst | mass that resembles a cyst |
| Pseudopregnancy | false pregnancy |
| Salpingectomy | removal of a fallopian tube |
| Splenomegaly | enlargement of the spleen |
The above words were just a teaser. Try to break down as many of the words are you can by identifying the root word, prefix, and suffix.