MEDICAL TERMINOLOGY NOMENCLATURE VOCABULARY
ROOTS ETYMOLOGY IDEOLOGY
Mythology Legends History Humanities Fine Arts Ethics
~ Acro; Greek for distal as in acro-x,y,z
~ Acrodysplasia; abnormalities of
distal structures
~ Acromegaly; enlarged distal structures
~ Adipose; fatty, aleipha in Greek, olyj or oil in Ukr
~ Ala nasi; lateral area (wing) of the nostril
~ Alcohol; fluid
product from natural fermentation of sugars, mainly see ethanol
~ Alcoholism; see
addiction, implies dependence and negative impacts, see teratogen.
~ Allele; alternative form of a gene
~ Alopecia; lack of hair, see trichosis
~ Anamnesis; patient"s recall of symptoms, signs and
circumstances
~ Aneurysm; segmental dilatation of an artery, vein or other tubular
structures due to
flaws of its walls
~ Angioma; vascular tumor (general term - see hemangiona etc.- see
ecatsia)
~ Anophthalmia; see microphthalmia
~ Antenna; detector of signals generally invisible and generally by
touch
~ Antepartum; preferred term inclusive of teratothanasia, ultrasound
imaging, stillbirth,
etc.
~ Apathetic, apathy; lacking “pathos” or emotion
~ Apathy; lacking (see) “pathos” or spirit (emotion)
~ Arthro; arthron implies articulation or joint, as in arthropod,
arthritis, …
~ Arthrogryposis; implies multiple congenital joint contractures in
diverse body parts
~ Audio; sound as in audible, audience ...
~ Auricle; external
ear, ear lobe
~ Autosomal; loci or genes located on autosomal chromosomes thus neither
on the X nor Y chromosomes
~ Birth defect; flawed political popular term for congenital
anomaly
~ Blastopathy;
abnormalities of the blastula (see blastula)
~ Blastula; early development of a fertilized egg when the morula (solid
sphere of cells) develops a cavity (blast), from Greek “blastos” for “sprout”.
~ Cancer;
uncontrolled division of abnormal cells spreading in a pattern suggestive of
the legs of a crab from Greek “kakinos” or Latin “cancer”.
~ Caviat; be aware, to note
~ Cele; or coele, in Medicine implies cavity, hernia, swelling.
~ Clone; in essence, a colony and in Medicine group of cells or
organisms identical to
an ancestor
~ Collagen; extracellular "glue" protein, see colloid
~ Colloid; a gel like substance glue-like
~ Coloboma; gap (like a cut) generally of ocular structures often irides
~ Crease; folding or groove
~ Credo; belief
~ Cross-bread; preferred term for intra-cohort breading instead of
in-breading
~ Cutis; skin
~ Cutis marmorata; pink marble like skin implying mottled skin
~ Cupid; mythological emblem mainly denoting temptation driving desire
~ Cupid bow; outline of
the vermillion of the upper lip in a shape of an arch, Cupid shot love arrows
and humans blow kisses from the upper lip
~ Cupid bow flat or not evident;
the sign observed among instances of fetal alcohol effects, syndrome, or
spectrum disorders
~ Cyclopia; fused eyes (not a failure of "splitting")
~ Deformation; external causes of anomalies, dys-morphism
~ Diagnosis; hypothetical label - synthesis of (objective) signs/natural
history with (hypothetical) pathogenesis/etiology
~ Disease; mental or physical instability, away from homeostasis
~ Dis; or dys for
“rupture” of a process, see more in dys
~ Disorder; characteristic of malformations and diseases
~ Disruption; implies external negative impact
~ Dominant; implies pathology due to the presence of one thus single
mutated pathogenic allele
~ Dorsal; often used to denote "supra" (during embryogenesis
the occiput may be included in dorsal)
~ Dys; or dis as in
disease, root for "anomaly" or ab-normal, note also “dis”
~ Dysmorphology;
study of disproportions, anomalies
~ Dysplasia; altered
tissue formation - normal cells but disorganized - e.g. hamartoma, e.g. polyp,
nevus, neurofibroma
~ Dysruption; see disruption for rupture of a developing process
~ Ear; or auricle,
also inner, middle and outer or external ears form the auditory system
~ Ectasia; implies distension - dilatation related to altered
"flow" in a tubular structure in contrast to aneurysm due to flaws in
walls
~ Ectoderm; ecto implies external
~ Edema; from “oid” for “to swell” in Greek
~ Emaciate; “macer”
in Latin for thin, lost flesh
~ Embryo; an organism
during early development and giving rise to a fetus
~ Embryopathy;
anomalies of the embryo
~ Epi; above as in
epi-x,y,z
~ Epidemidermis; skin (above the "flesh")
~ Epicanthus; epi - canthus
- above the (ocular inner) angle
~ Ethanol; eth and ol
denote a chain of two carbons one of which is linked to OH ethyl group (EtOH)
expressed by the chemical formula CH3-CH2-OH;
a liquid flammable addictive human psychotoxin (an inhibitor of inhibitions),
see alcoholism
~ Ethics; see "ethos", in essence, the “thuth”
~ Ethos (soul), ethnic; natural of a group
~ Ethnos; strictly speaking it denotes a distinct people and points
towards ethos and ethics
~ Etiology; true
cause, see Etios
~ Etios; Greek for
spirit pointing to "true"
~ Eso; Greek for
"inward" as in esotropia
~ Esotropia; inward
or convergent strabismus or squint
~ Etymology; the true origin, mainly of words
~ Exo; Greek for "out" as in exotic, exotropia
~ Exotropia; outward or divergent strabismus
~ Face, facade;
front, communication organ/devise
~ Facies; a face that
“speaks”, conveys a meaning
~ FAE; fetal alcohol effect, see FAS and FASD
~ FAS; fetal alcohol syndrome, implies full array of concurrent signs,
see FASD
~ FASD; fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, implies incomplete array of FAS
signs
~ Facoma; see facomatosis
~ Facomatosis; see phacomatosis
~ Fertile; capable of reproduction, fruitful, fecund
~ Fistula; a tubular hallow abnormal canal or tunnel-like between organs
or the exterior
~ FTT, failure to thrive, implies delay of mental, physical, growth and
maturation
~ Gene, genius, generator; messenger
~ Genetics; the study of inherited and or hereditary organisms or their
components
~ Genome; the totality of genes of an organism
~ Glossa; tongue, language
~ Gyneco-mastia; developed female breast in a male
~ Hamartoma; circumscribed areas of dysplastic tissues (facomas or
phacomas) prone to uncontrolled growth and malignant changes
~ Hamartomatosis; systemic multiple, generally congenital, bening
neoplasias, often pre-malilgnant, e.g. multiple neurfibromatosis
~ Hamartosis; see Hamartomatosis
~ Health; optimal
homeostasis of an organism at a particular stage of development and lifespan
(includes a mental optimal state)
~ Hemangiona; vascular tumor (general term akin to angioma, see
ectasia)
~ Hirsutism; excess
of hair
~ Holo; means totality, whole, wholly
~ Holoprosencephaly; a forebrain undivided into left and right
hemispheres
~ Homeostasis;
health, stability
~ Hyper; prefix for excess, see hyper-x,y,z
~ Hyperplasia; enlargement on the basis of more numerous cells
~ Hypertelorism;
increased inter-ocular distance, see telorism
~ Hypertrichosis;
hirsutism or excess of hair, see trichosis
~ Hypertrophy; enlargement including of cells
~ Hypotelorism; decreased inter-ocular distance, see telorism
~ Hypotrichosis; sparse hair, see tricosis, alopecia
~ Ionizing; energy capable of converting atoms and molecules into ions
~ Implication; plica (fold), “folded in”
~ IMV; informative morphogenic variant
~ Iridoschisis, see Coloboma
~ IUGR; intrauterine growth retardation
~ Leukemia; strictly it denotes “white blood”, in Medicine an abnormal
malignant excessive proliferation of “white blood cells” (leukocytes)
~ Life; individual organism capable of capturing energy for its perpetuation
~ Limb; extensions of body stalk, populist term "extremities", see Limbus
~ Limber; hypotonia, flexible, agile, pliable, nimble, elastic
~ Limbic; refers to the thalamus and hypothalamus, see Limbus
~ Limbo; oblivion, nowhere, limit or area between paradise and hell according to the
Vatican
~ Limbus; limit, edge, border … See full companion expanded roots
~ Lipid; a wax, fat, sterol, vitamin, glyceride
~ Locus; position on a chromosome
~ Lobe; a part of a generally flat and round structure
~ Lobule; a small lobe
~ Macro; big, large as in macro-x,y,z
~ Macrocephaly; large head
~ Macrognathia; generally referred to as prognatism
~ Malar; cheek bone or zygoma, see zygote
~ Malformation; a failure of morphogenesis (studied by Dysmorphology)
~ Maxillar; vernacular for jaw, cheek bone or malar from Latin
"mala"
~ Micro; small as in micro-x,y,z
~ Microcephaly;
reduced head size by 2 or more standard deviations
~ Micrognathia;
reduced size mandible or chin
~ Microphthalmia -
implies existence of an under-developed and immature ocular globe
~ Monozygotic; origin from one single zygote
~ Morphology; shape,
proportions
~ Mutagen; agent that alters genetic codes, heritable or not
~ Nature; all living, see life
~ Navel; see umbilicus, a ship is tied to the shore, the baby (ship) is
tied to the placenta (attached to the mother)
~ Neuroblast; blast implies source of cells
~ Neoplasia; new tissue, by implication abnormal or distinct from the
original
~ Neurofibromatosis; a systemic multi-tissue defect due to a single
autosomal gene mutation
~ Nomenclature; clue
given by a name
~ Norm; feature
observed in the majority (95%) of subjects
~ Normal, norm;
prevalent, optimal
~ Nosocomial; aimment acquired in a hospital
~ Nosology;
categorization of ailments akin but not identical to natural
history
~ Nostalgia; remembrances with yearning, longing, a sense of loss
~ Nostology; mental deterioration resulting from senility
~ Nostril; nares,
nasal external opening
~ Obsession; unwanted intrusive compelling persistent recurring ideas
and feelings
may be a
prodrome of zeal, mania, madness
~ Order; best fit, health
~ Omphalocele; herniated omphalocn or navel, umbilical or central
abdominal area
~ Omphalon; implies "central"
~ Oncogene; gene increasing carcinogenesis risk
~ Organ, organism; inter-dependent parts
~ Palpebral fissure; implies “eye opening size”
~ Parlance; professional jargon
~ Pathos; implies
development of a "sense" or "feeling"
~ Pathogenesis; in
Medicine, mechanism generating an anomaly
~ Pectus; shield, sternum, see pectus-carinatum/excavatum
~ Pectus carinatum; keel, ridged sternum
~ Pectus excavatum: cavity, trench, sunken sternum
~ Penetrance; proportion of individuals expressing an inherited
gene
~ Phacomatosis; mostly neuro-cutanteous and/or vascular reflecting
neoplastic growth of hamartomatous tissues (see hamartoma)
~ Philtrum; concavity
(fosa) under the nose
~ Phocomelia; foca (seal), melia (limbs)
~ Phrenia; mind, as in oligophrenia
~ Phrenology; study of the mind
~ Physiognomy; study
of facial signals
~ Piggery; enterprise of breading swine (often a resource for Teratology
investigations
~ Placenta; a flat, round, and brittle fetal organ (resembling a
cheesecake) attached to the uterus and connected per an umbilical cord to a
fetus surrounded by membrane
~ Plastos; element in dysplasia, metaplasia, aplasia, ... in Greek -
implies "molding" as in "shaping" thus proportions,
organization ...
~ Pleotropism; plethora (multiplicity) of signs caused by a gene
mutation
~ Primacy; most important
~ Proboscis; tube like nose or snout
~ Prognathism; prominent jaw or macrognathia
~ Prolabium; central
part of the upper lip
~ Ptosis;
fallen
~ Radiation; energy emitted in waves of subatomic particles
~ Recessive: implies impacts of both alleles (see alternative in
"dominant");
~ Regeneration; restoration of destroyed cells with minimal or no flaws
~ Rhino; root for
words referring to nose
~ Rudiment; preferred term to underdeveloped, etc.
~ Schisis; cut, separation, division, gap
~ Sign; objective
evidence of an event
~ Signal;
significance or interpretation of a sign
~ Simian crease; single transverse palmar flexion crease
~ Sinciput; see next
~ Sinciputal; in brief, anterior area of the forehead (site of frontal
encephaloceles)
~ Squint; strabismus
- in medical parlance deviated eye/eyes
~ Sterile; infertile
~ Stigma; a signal or mark generally negative
~ Strabismus; or
heterotopia, deviated eye or eyes, see esotropia
~ Sydney crease; proximal palmar flexion crease reaching the ulnar
border
~ Symptom; perceived
sensations by an individual capable of describing and transmitting them for a
physician to interpret to what extend symptoms qualify as a sign (see sign)
~ Syn; root for
together, joined, confluent as in symphony
~ Syndrome; concurrent
characteristic consistent symptoms and signs
~ Synophris; convergent eyebrows
~ Telorism; distance
between paired structures, see hyper-telorism
~ Teratogen; any
environmental cause of developmental anomalies
~ Teratology;
discipline concerned with teratogens (see above)
~ Teratoma; a tumor
composed of cells derived from each of the three embryonal layers (ectoderm,
endoderm, and mesoderm), implies and independently growing a disorganized mass
of cells that may be malignant in nature
~ Teratothanasia;
embryonal or fetal death due to fatal defects
~ Thelarche; onset of postnatal
breast (mammary) development usually at puberty (in Greek thele is nipple)
~ Torticollis; implies torsion or twisted neck, related to tort,
contort, torture, etc.
~ Torsion; see torture
~ Torture; methods to produce pain inducing contortions
~ Toxin; poison, a
cause of death or illness, from organic or inorganic source, implies impacts
from miniscule or modest doses (virtually all substances at high doses are
toxic – including oxygen)
~ Trichosis; pertaining hair, see hypo-hyper, alopecia
~ Trisomy; three bodies, here denotes a chromosome in triplicate
~ Twin dizygotic; two individuals gestated concurrently from two
fertilized eggs
~ Twin monozygotic; one of two individuals from the same fertilized egg
~ Umbilicus; or navel, the center of an individual, in humans the
attachment site of the placental cord, see navel
~ Usual; among the most frequent, customary, implies “normal”
~ Variant; "different", rare but within the 95% considered as
"normal"
~ Vermillion; red
color, in medicine visible mucosa of lips
~ X-linked; implies loci on the X chromosome
~ Y-linked; implies loci on the Y chromosome
~ Zygote, zygoma: yoked, sperm-egg conjugated