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used in medicine, you’ll recognize them even in new combinations. This recognition will
make it easier for you to understand new medical terms that you encounter in your work.

For example, the root word cardi appears in hundreds of medical terms pertaining
to the heart: e.g., cardiac, cardiovascular, cardiologist, cardiogenic. Similarly, the suffix logy
can be combined with a vast number of root words to describe the study of many different
topics: e.g., hematology, pulmonology, endocrinology, and so forth.

Using the approach described in this chapter will enable you to break down and
define even terms that look very intimidating. For example, consider the terms
electrocardiography and pericardiocentesis.

Electro = electrical cardio = heart graphy= recording
Combining form o’ combining form ‘o’ suffix

Peri = surrounding cardio = heart centesis = puncture
Prefix combining form o’ suffix

A few exceptions

As previously mentioned, most medical terms are formed by the combination of a root or
roots modified by adding prefixes or suffixes. However, occasionally, medical terms are formed by
a root alone or a combination of roots. For example, the word ‘oviduct’, which refers to “the uterine
tube”:
ovi = egg / duct = to lead
Root word Root word

Sometimes, you may find a term formed from the combination of a prefix and suffix, with
no root word. For example, ‘metastasis’, which refers to the spread of a diseases, such as cancer,
from one location to another:

meta = beyond, after, or change / stasis = stop or stand
Prefix Suffix

Once you learn the common word elements, you can easily figure out that
electrocardiography is a procedure in which the electrical activity of the heart is recorded,
while pericardiocentesis is a procedure in which the tissue (membrane) surrounding the
heart is punctured with a needle. Study more from the recommended textbooks and linked
website below and you will be well on your way to mastering medical terminology.

Exercises for building your word power

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