The Origin of Medical Terminology & its Meaning
Nichole Flury
Bryant & Stratton College
Medical Terminology
Dr. Paul Seniw
December 12, 2012
Medical Terminology 2 Understanding the importance use and history of medical terminology can seem complex and difficult to understand. Although these terms may seem intimidating, they can be deciphered and understood if you know what to look for. The meaning of the word medical terminology is a system of words that are used to describe specific medical aspects and diseases. It is based on standard roots, prefixes, suffixes and combing vowel. Most medical terms is made up of Greek and Latin roots. Being able to understand these roots can make knowing the terms easier for yourself and patients to understand the meaning behind them. If you choose a profession in the medical setting you must be able to know and fully understand medical terminology. Medical words are constructed in parts to Break down the words into simpler parts. These parts are prefixes, suffixes, root words and vowels helping you to understand the meaning behind the terms more easily. Medical terms will contain one or more root words. The root word should give you an idea of what the term pertains to. As in the word pancreatitis, the root word would be pancreas which would refer to the pancreas. Prefixes may be added to root words to add more meaning behind the term. Usually the prefix is in the beginning of the word. An understanding of prefixes will help you to understand the prefixes surrounding medical terminology. As in the word contraceptive, the prefix is contra,