Most medical roots are derived from other languages and are meant to be used in combinations. The Greek word kardia, for example, meaning “heart,” gives us the root cardi. The Latin word pulmo, meaning “lung,” gives us the root pulm. In a few instances, both the Greek and Latin roots are used. We find both the Greek root nephr and the Latin root ren used in words pertaining to the kidney.
Note that the same root may have different meanings in different fields of study. The root myel means “marrow” and may apply to either the bone marrow or the spinal cord. The root scler means “hard” but may also apply to the white of the eye. Cyst means “a filled sac or pouch” but also refers specifically to the urinary bladder. You will sometimes have to consider the context of a word before assigning its meaning.
Compound words contain more than one root. The words eyeball, bedpan, frostbite, and wheelchair are examples. Some compound medical words are cardiovascular (pertaining to the heart and blood vessels), urogenital (pertaining to the urinary and reproductive systems), and lymphocyte (a white blood cell found in the lymphatic system).
When the suffix -logy, meaning “study of,” is added to the root neur, meaning “nerve or nervous system,” a combining vowel is added:
neur + o + logy = neurology (study of the nervous system)
Roots shown with a combining vowel are called combining forms.
Word Derivations
Most medical word parts come from Greek (G) and Latin (L).
For example, muscle comes from a Latin word that means “mouse” because the movement of a muscle under the skin was thought to resemble the scampering of a mouse.
The coccyx, the tail end of the spine, is named for the cuckoo because it was thought to resemble the cuckoo’s bill.
0517-01
Which purposes of placental functioning should the nurse include in a prenatal class? Select all that apply.
1. It cushions and protects the baby.
2. It maintains the temperature of the baby.
3. It is the way the baby gets food and oxygen.
4. It prevents all antibodies and viruses from passing to the baby.
5. It provides an exchange of nutrients and waste products between the mother and developing fetus.
0517-02
A 55-year-old male patient confides in the nurse that he is concerned about his sexual function. What is the nurse's best response?
1. "How often do you have sexual relations?"
2. "Please share with me more about your concerns."
3. "You are still young and have nothing to be concerned about."
4. "You should not have a decline in testosterone until you are in your 80s."
KEY:
35
2
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