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Glossary of Medical Neuroscience Terms.Pages

Glossary of Medical Neuroscience Terms.Pages

Glossary of Medical Terms

Daniel Roe, PhD

Medical terms are commonly assembled from some combination of prefixes, roots, and suffixes. For example, we can assemble word parts to form the word neuritis from the root “neuro,” which means , and the suffix “itis,” which means inflammation. Neuritis therefore means “nerve inflammation.” Adding or dropping a letter or two (in this case “o”) is common, so don’t let it confuse you. The following list gives many (though not all) of the terms we will encounter when studying medical neuroscience. You should familiarize yourself in general with how medical terms are constructed. It is my hope that you will find this list to be a helpful reference as you come across unfamiliar terms throughout the course of your studies. a-, an-: no; not; without ab-: away from -ad, ad-: toward -algia: denoting -amine: nitrogen compound ante-: before anti-: against anxio-: uneasy; anxious auto-: self bi-: two -blast: embryonic; immature -blastoma: immature tumor cell brachia-: brady-: slow bronchio-: bronchial tube bucco-: cheek calco-, calcio-: , bony capno-, -capnia: carbon dioxide caudo-: ; lower body part cephalo: head cervico: ; (neck of ) chemo: ; chemical chondro: choreo: dance chromo: color chrono: time -cide, -cidal: killing or pertaining to killing cis-: same; on the same side -clast: to break con-: together contra-: opposite; against corporo, corpora: body cortico: cortex, outer part (e.g., bark) cryo-: cold cyto-, cyte: cell or cellular de-: lack of; decrease; removal of denti: tooth derma, dermato: skin dia-: complete; through dis-: apart; to separate dorsi-: back duro: durable; -dynia: pain dys-: bad; difficult; painful; abnormal -eal: pertaining to ecto-: outside of -ectomy: removal of; excision; cutting out; resection -edema: swelling electro-: electricity em-, -en, end-, endo-: in -ema: condition -emesis: vomiting encephalo-: epi-: above; upon; on epithelio-: skin equi-: equal; equality ergo-: work -esis: condition of eso-: inward -esthesia, esthesio: nervous sensation estro: female etio: cause eu-: good; normal -eurysm: widening ex-, exo-: out; away from (e.g., exit) extra-: outside facio-: face fascio-: fascia (the membrane that covers muscles) febri: feto: fetus fibro-: fiber -fication: making (e.g., ) -fida: split fili, filo, filamento: thread-like folliculo: follicle; small sac fore-: before; in front -form: similar in shape; in the shape of foveo: small pit or depression frig, frigo, frigid: cold -fusion: to come together galacto: milk ganglio: ; a collection of nerve cells bodies gastro-: -gen, -genesis, -genic: production; formation genio-: chin genito-: reproduction geo: Earth gero, geronto: old age gesto: (e.g., gestation) giganto: large size (e.g., gigantic) gingivo: gums (e.g., gingivitis) glauco: gray -globin, -globulin: protein glomerulo, glomerulus: a cluster of nerve cell endings glosso: gluco-, glyco-: sugar (e.g., ) glycogen: starch (a carbohydrate consisting of a large number of glucose units) gnoso-, gnosis: knowledge gonado: -grade: to go (e.g., retrograde, to go backwards) -gram: record; measure granulo: granule -graph: an instrument for recording -graph: writing -graphy: recording gyneco: woman; female gyro: circle hallucino-: hallucination; hallucinogenic hemo-: blood hemi-: half hepato-: heredo-: hereditary hexia: habit histo-, histio-: hydro-: hyper-: above; excessive hypno-: hypo-: below; deficient hypophyso: pituitary (hypophysis) hypothalmo: hystero-: uterus; womb -ia: contition -iac, ic, ical: pertaining to -iasis: abnormal condition -ician: specialist ideo-: idea; mental idio-: unknown; distinct; individual immuno-: immune; safe in-: in; into; not -ine: substance; chemical infra-: below; beneath inter-: between intra-: within -ion: ipsi-: same ir-: in iso: same; equal -ism: process; condition -ist: specialist -itis: inflammation -ium: structure; tissue juxta-: near jaundo-: yellow karyo: kineso, kinesio, -kinesis: movement kypho: humped back -labile: unstable; perishable labio-: lacrimo: tear duct lacto-: milk -lalia, lalo: speech; babble lamino: lamina; layer -lapse: to fall; sag latero: side -lemma: sheath; covering -lepsy, -leptic: ; to seize as in to take hold of letho-: death leuko-: white levo-: left lexo-, -lexia: word; phrase linguo: tongue lipo: fat -lipsis: omit; fail litho: stone; calculus -lithotomy: removal of a stone lobo: lobe -logist: a specialist -logo: study lordo: curve; sway back -lucent: to shine lumbo-: lower back -lysis, -lystic: break down; destroy; reduce macro: large mal: bad -mania: obsession; obsessive preoccupation medio: middle medico: to heal; healing mega: large -megaly: enlargement melano: black meningo: meninx, (membranes covering the brain and ) mento: ; chin meso: middle meta: beyond; change -meter: measure methodo: procedure; technique -metry: process of measuring micro: small -mimesis, -mimetic: imitation; simulation; copy -mission: to send -mnesia: mono: single morpho: shape; form morto, -mortem: death -motor: movement multi: many muta, mutageno: genetic change myel-, myelo-; the sheath of nerve fibers; of the spinal cord or ; of the marrow. myo-, myos-: muscle myocardium: muscle narco-: numbness; stupor; sleep naso: nati-: necro-: death neo: new neuro-: , nervous neutro: neither; neutral noci-: harmful; injurious; painful nocto-: night -noia: mind; will nomen: name (e.g., nomenclature) normo: rule; order noso: disease nucleo: nucleus; nucleic nulli-: none nutrio, nutrito: nutritious; nourishing nycto: night obstetro: pregnancy; birth oculo-: odonto: tooth odyno: pain -oid: resembling; derived from -ole: small one: mono; uni -opaque: obscure ophthalamo: eye -opia, -opsia: visual condition -opsy: view of opto, optic: eye; vision -or: one who oro: mouth -orexia: appetite -organo: ortho: straight -ose: full of; sugar -osis: condition; abnormal -osmia: smell ossiculo: small bone (e.g., ossicle) osteo: bone oto: -otia: ear condition -ous: pertaining to oxo, -oxia: oxygen oxysmo: sudden palato: roof of mouth paleo: old pali: recur; repeat palliato: to soothe; relieve (e.g., palliative care) palpebro: eyelid palpo, palpato: to touch gently (e.g., palpate) palsy: (often with involuntary ) par-: abnormal; other than para-: beside; along the side of; abnormal parasito: parasite -paresis: patho: disease -pathy: disease; peri-: surrounding petro: stone; petrous (e.g., the petrous portion of the ) -pexy: ; put in place phago, phage: eat; swallow phagia: ; swallowing pharmaco, pharmaceuto: drug pharyngo: phaso, -phasia: speech -pheresis: removal phil, philo-, -philia: like; love; attraction to phlebo-: phobo, phobia: phono, phonia: sound -phoresis: carry; transmit -phoria: to carry; a feeling (as in a mental state) photo: light phreno, phrenia: diaphragm; mind -phthisis: wasting away -phylaxis: protection phylo: race; species; type physio: ; function physico: natural; physical -physis: to grow pinealo: pituitaro: plas, plaso, plasia, plasm: formation; development; structure -plastic: pertaining to formation; moldable -plasty: surgical repair or remodeling pleo-: many -plegia, -plegic: paralysis; palsy plexo, plexic: plexus (of nerves) -pnea: breathing -poiesis: formation polo: extreme -: gray matter of brain or spinal cord poly: many ponto: (a structure of the brain stem) -posia: drinking post-, postero-: after; behind praxia, praxis: performing an action pre-: before primi-: first (e.g., primitive) pro-, proso-: before proto-: first proteo-: protein proximo-: near (e.g., proximal) pseudo-: false psycho-: mind -: droop; sag; prolapse pyro-, pyreto-, pyrexo-: fever; fire qual-: quality; characteristic quant-: quantity; number quasi-: as if rachio: spinal column; vertebrae radicule, radiculo-: (or plant root) re-: back; do again; reticulo-: network retino-: retro-: backward; behind rhino-: nose rhizo-: root -rrhage, -rrhagia: forth (e.g., hemorrhage, a bursting forth of blood) saccharo: sugar sacro: sacral; salpingo: fallopian tube; auditory tube () sangui: blood (e.g., sanguineous) sanita: health; healthy (e.g., sanitary) -schisis, schisto, schizo: split scirrho: hard sclero: sclera (white part of the eye) sclerosis: hardening scolio: crooked; bent -scope: instrument for visual examination -scopy: visual examination scoto: darkness (e.g., ) secto: to cut (e.g., to section) semi: half -sepsis: putrefaction; decay sepso-: infection septo: partition (e.g., septum) sero: serum; serous sialo: saliva sialadeno: sinistro: left sinuso: sinus -sis: state of; condition skeleto: -sol: somato, -some: body somno, -somnia: sleep -spasm: sudden contraction of muscles spectro: image; spectrum; (e.g., spectroscopy) spheno: wedge; sphero: globe shaped; round sphygmo, -sphyxia: pulse splanchno: viscera (internal organs) spino: spine spiro: to breath spondylo: spine; backbone; squamo: scale -stabile: stable; fixed in place -stalsis: contraction stapedo: (of ) -stasis: to stop; fixed in place -stat: a device (or instrument) for keeping something stationary (e.g., hemostat) -static: pertaining to keeping something in place steno: narrowed; constricted -stenosis: narrowing; stricture -sthenia: strength -stomy: to form a new opening sub-: under; below super-: above; beyond supra-: above; upper sym-, syn-: together symptom: occurrence synapso, synapto: point of contact; join syncopo: cut short; faint (e.g., ) synovo: synovial sheath (sheath around a ) syringo: tube (e.g., a syringe) systolo, systole: a contraction tachy-: fast (e.g., tachycardia) tauto-: identical; the same taxo: order; coordination techno: skill telo: distant tempo, temporo: time -tension: pressure tetano: tetanus thalamo, thalami: (nuclear group in the ) thanato: death theca: dura mater surrounding spinal cord and caudal equina therapeuto, therapeutic: therapy thermo: heat thoraco, thoracic, : chest thrombo, thrombi: clot -tropia: to turn -thymia: a condition of mind thymic: pertaining to mind -tic: pertaining to -tome: an instrument to cut -tomy: the process of cutting topo: place; location; position toxo, toxico, toxic: trans-: across; through traumato: trauma; injury; wound -tresia: opening tricho: hair -tripsy: to crush -tropho, -trophy: nourishment; development -tropia, -tropic: to turn -tropin: stimulate; act on -type: classification -ule: small ultra-: beyond; excess uni-: one -uresis: vago-: vagus nerve valvo, valvulo: valve vaso: vessel; duct vasculo: vessel; vascular veno, veni: veinous ventro: belly side; ventral ventriculo: ventricle (of heart or brain) venulo: ; small vein vermi: vermus; -verse, -verso, -version: to turn vertebro-: vertebra; backbone vestibulo: vestibule of (vestibular apparatus) viscero-, viscera: internal organs vito-, vital, vivo: ; life giving; necessary; essential -volemia: blood volume -ward: in the direction of -where: location (e.g., anywhere) -wise: direction (e.g., clockwise) with-: together xeno-: foreign -y: condition; process zoo-: animal life zon-: girdle; belt; zonular

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