Many terms frequently used in science and medicine
are derived from latin words. By combining the root
words with, prefixes and suffixes many of the meanings
of the terms can be deciphered.
Use the following resources to better understand
medical terms:
| calculi |
stones or solid lumps |
| calluses |
thick hard areas of the skin |
| candidiasis |
mild infection caused by fungus |
| capillaries |
tiny blood vessels between arteries
and veins that distribute blood to the body |
| carcinogen |
a substance known to cause cancer |
| cardiology |
study and practice of treating the
heart |
| carotid arteries
|
major arteries in the neck that
supply blood to the brain |
| cathartics |
laxatives |
| cecum |
beginning of the large intestine |
| cerebellum |
consists of the two halves of the
lower brain; responsible for coordination movement
and balance |
| cerebral hemorrhage
|
bleeding within the brain |
| cerebral thrombosis
|
blood clot in an artery that supplies
blood to the brain |
| cerebrovascular
accident |
stroke |
| cerebrum |
consists of the two halves of the
upper brain; responsible for coordination of all
voluntary movement |
| chemosensory
disorders |
disorders of sense or smell/and
or taste |
| chlorhydria |
too much hydrochloric acid in the
stomach |
| cholecystitis |
inflamation of the gallbladder |
| cholecystokinin |
hormone released in the small intestine;
causes muscles in gallbladder the colon to tighten
and relax |
| chorea |
rapid, jerky dance like movement
of the body |
| chyme |
thick liquid made of partially digested
food and stomach juices |
| circulatory system
|
pertaining to heart and blood vessels |
| cochlea |
structure in the inner ear |
| colectomy |
partial or removal of large bowel
or colon |
| colon |
large intestine |
| colonoscopic
polypectomy |
removal of growths using a device
inserted through a colonoscope |
| colostrum |
first milk produced by the breasts
during late pregnancy and for a few days after
childbirth |
| constrict |
tighten; narrow |
| contusion |
bruise caused by a blow to the muscle,
tendon or ligament, when blood pools around the
point of injury |
| cornea |
surface that covers the front of
the eye |
| coronary heart
disease |
a condition in which the cororonary
arteries narrow |
| coronary occlusion
|
an obstruction of one of the coronary
arteries that decreases flow to the heart |
| coronary thrombosis
|
formation of a clot in one of the
arteries that carry blood to the heart muscle |
| cortex |
outer layer of the cerebrum |
| crepitus |
grinding noise or sensation within
a joint |
| cyanosis |
bluish color of the skin due to
lack of oxygen |
| cytology |
study of individual cells |
