Students beginning any kind of medical or paramedical course are faced with a bewildering number of complex medical terms. Surprisingly it is possible to understand the language of medicine by learning relatively few word components that can be combined in a variety of ways.
The Prefix:
The prefix precedes the word root and is found at the beginning of the word. Prefixes modify the meaning of the word root and are also derived mainly from Greek and Latin words.
Medical Roots:
Roots are the basic medical words that refer to parts of the anatomy (ex: the roots gastr- meaning stomach and neur- meaning nerves). Medical roots are derived from Greek and Roman /Latin/ words. Others have their origins in Arabic, Anglo-Saxon and German. Some early Greek words have been retained in their original form whilst others have been Latinized. In their migrations throughout Europe and America many words have changed their spelling, meaning and pronunciation.
The Combining Vowel:
Combining vowels are added to word roots to aid pronunciation and to connect the root to the suffix. In our first example the vowel 'o' has been used to join the root and suffix. All the combining vowels a, e, i, o and u are used but that most used is 'o'.
The Suffix
The suffix follows the word root and is found at the end of the word. This component also adds to or modifies the meaning of the root.
