Medical Terminology
Decode clinical language one meaningful piece at a time.
Lesson 2 of 12
Body-part roots: A-M
Roots often point to a structure, while the suffix tells what is happening to it. Learning a small group at a time makes unfamiliar terms less intimidating. Some roots have alternate forms, and the same structure may have more than one accepted word part. Use the surrounding sentence to distinguish a structure from a condition or procedure.
Key points
- arthr/o refers to a joint; arthritis names joint inflammation.
- cardi/o and angi/o refer to heart and vessel concepts, respectively.
- derm/o, gastr/o, and hepat/o point to skin, stomach, and liver.
- my/o, neur/o, and oste/o refer to muscle, nerve, and bone.
- hemat/o relates to blood; hem/o is a common alternate form.
- A familiar root is a clue, not enough by itself to establish a diagnosis.
Key terms
- arthr/o
- Joint.
- angi/o
- Vessel.
- derm/o
- Skin.
- gastr/o
- Stomach.
- hepat/o
- Liver.
- my/o
- Muscle.
- oste/o
- Bone.
Memory tip
Connect each root to a body-system image or word you already know.
Clinical note
Roots are shown in combining form when the linking vowel is included.
Unit checkpoint
Lock it in: match the terms, then test yourself.