Kursk state medical university

The basis of the Clinical terminology is the terminology of the Pathological Anatomy, that is of the science, which studies the material and structural basis of any disease, its morphological essence. This complex of terminologies designates all the problems concerning an organism with any pathology.

The structural types of the Clinical terms are different. According to

their structure Clinical terms may be divided into three groups:

I. Non-motivated simple terms:

a) simple root –words of Greek or Latin origin:

e. g.: stupor, oris m - stupor – a state of impaired consciousness

in which the individual shows a marked

diminution in his reactivity to

environmental stimuli;

movement;

system.

e.g.: trauma, atis n – trauma, injury – the root word with the

motivying base - traumat-;

simple derivatives: traumaticus, a, um – traumatic (adjective, formed from the motivying base –traumat- with the help of the suffix

-icus, a, um);

motivying base –traumaticus,a,um with the help of the prefix post-).

Within the scope of modern terminology, some terms appear to be indivisible and they are consequently not motived. That is why, more often than not they are not translated from one language into another, but they are transcribed by means of national languages:

e. g. insultus (Lat. insulto - to attack) – An injury, attack or trauma –

Engl. insult

infarctus (Lat. in – farcio - to stuff into) – sudden insuficiency of arterial or blood supply that produces a microscopic area of necrosis –

Engl. infarction

In the Clinical terminology a considerable role belongs to word combinations. To construct such terms it is necessary to know grammar rules of the Latin language and especially the rules according to which agreement between nouns and adjectives is achieved.

Each word combination begins with a noun in the Nominative Case singular or plural, which is the nucleus of every term and designates some pathological condition. The attributes are often expressed through adjectives (agreed attributes) or nouns (non-agreed attributes), the role of which is to detalize the information or to show the localization of the pathological process.

e.g.: pneumonia apicalis – pneumonia (inflammation of the lung parenchyma), localized on the upper part of the lungs (the apex).

Some international word combinations are included by tradition into the texts, written in national languages, in their Latin transcription.

e.g.: genu varum – bowleg, bandy leg - an outward bowing of the legs.

genu valgum – knock-knee – a deformity marked by abduction of the

leg in relation to the thigh).

viscera (internal organs).

.

III. Compound terms (fully motivated).

They are of the utmost interest in the study of the basics of the medical terminology. The majority of these terms are constructed on the basis of the words of Greek origin.

Compound terms consist of two or more parts which are called Combining forms.

A Combining form (CF) is ANY part of a derivative (a morpheme or a block of morphemes) regularly reproduced without any change in the existing and newly constructed terms and preserving its terminological meaning.

The final CFs express the essence of the term and have a classifying function. Some of them designate some class of pathological phenomena, others – surgical operations or some diagnostic manipulations. Many of them end in –ia, which is a suffix, designating “process, state or condition”. Its English equivalent is the suffix –y, preserving the same as in Latin meaning.

e.g.: Lat. stomatologia – Engl. stomatology

Lat. somotascopia - Engl. somatoscopy

Lat. osteodystrophia – Engl. osteodystrophy
In compound terms the Combining forms with anatomical meaning are used as initial motivying bases as a rule. As an example, some of the terms with the initial combining form “cardio”- (heart) are the following:

cardiogenesis - formation of the heart in the embryo;

cardiogramma – the graphic tracing made by the stylet of a

cardiograph;

heart.

e.g.: cardi-o-tomia

e.g.: Lat. osteologia (osteo- bone; -logia science )

Engl. osteology - “what?” science “of what?” of bones;

Lat. ostealgia (osteo- bone; -algia pain)

Engl. ostealgia - “what?” pain “where?” in a bone

Lat. osteoma (osteo- bone; -oma tumor)

Engl. osteoma - tumor of a bone (a benign slow growing mass

of mature bone)

Lat. osteomalacia– ( osteo- bone; -malacia softening) -

gradual softening of the bones

Lat. osteodystrophia – (dys- difficult; -trophia nourishment)

Engl. osteodystrophy - difficulty in the nourishment of bone

resulting in effective formation of bone.
MEMORIZE CLINICAL TERMS:

abscessus, us m - abscess (collection of pus)

cancer, cri m - cancer (any malignant neoplasm: malignant –

deadly/fatal; neo- -new; -plasm – formed tissue)

abdomen)

fluid, etc.)

cartilage)

obstruction, loss, or diminution of blood

supply).

gangraenosus, a, um - gangrenous – (mortified; related to or

affected with gangrene).

through the tissue normally containing it. )

the body)

excessive amount of watery fluid in cells, tissues

or serous cavities)

paralysis, is f - paralysis (loss of power of voluntary movement

in a muscle through injury to or disease of its

nerve supply; stop of function)

paralyticus, a, um - paralytic ( relating to paralysis)

paresis, is f - paresis - partial or incomplete paralysis (with

the function partially preserved)

parenchyma)

increased intraocular pressure)

tissues)

or a mucous surface, caused by superficial loss of

tissue, usually with inflammation)

ulcerosus, a um - ulcerous ( relating to, affected with or containing

an ulcer)

serum or a substance having a watery

consistency)

chronicus, a, um - chronic ( of long duration)

• 
  Latin: Rubor, tumor, calor, dolor et functio laesa – symptomata inflammationis sunt.
  
• 
  English: The symptoms of inflammation are: reddening, swelling, fever (heat), pain and worsened function)
  

1. 
   gangraena diabetica
   
2. 
   ileus paralyticus
   
3. 
   colica gastrica
   
4. 
   icterus hepaticus
   
5. 
   hernia cerebralis occipitalis
   
6. 
   inflammatio serosa
   
7. 
   paralysis spastica
   
8. 
   ulcus gastris
   
9. 
   paresis cerebellaris
   

11. inflammatio acuta

12. coma diabeticum

13. abscessus hepatis ascaridosus

14. paralysis cerebralis juvenilis

15. glaucoma posttraumaticum

1. 
   abdominal hernia
   
2. 
   progressive bacterial gangrene
   
3. 
   infantile hernia
   
4. 
   malignant swelling (edema)
   
5. 
   alveolar cancer
   
6. 
   cancer of the lung
   
7. 
   serous inflammation
   
8. 
   hepatic jaundice
   
9. 
   acute abscess
   
10. 
    juvenile progressive paralysis
    
11. 
    diabetic coma
    
12. 
    transverse fracture
    
13. 
    chronic ulcer
    
14. 
    infectious jaundice
    
15. 
    palatal abscess
    

As it has already been mentioned, non-motivated simple terms include simple derivatives constructed with the help of suffixes. This method of word-building is called suffixation. Thus, suffixation is the attachment of a suffix to a motivying base. Suffixes have a very important classifying function. Thanks to them words are attributed to certain classes of notions; for example, all the nouns with the suffixes -ul- (-cul-), -ol- belong to the class of diminutives, that is, they have a diminishing meaning, i.e. designate smaller structures:

e. g.: tuber (swelling, protuberance)  tuber

tuberculum  tubercle (small tuber)

The suffix –io has the meaning of the “process or result of an action” and corresponds to the English –tion, e. g:

Lat. rotatio – Engl. “rotation” ( the process of turning round)

It is impossible to overestimate the classifying function of a suffix  a Combining form with a certain terminological meaning. Thus, all the nouns with the suffix “-itis” have the terminological meaning of “inflammation, inflammatory disease”.

This suffix is used only in combination with a motivying base to construct a compound term, and the simple term “inflammatio” is used in terms word-combination.

For example, the terms inflammatio hepatis and hepatitis both have the same meaning of “inflammation of the liver”.
MEMORIZE THE SUFFIXES:

ADJECTIVE SUFFIXES

From the Anatomical terminology you’ve already got an idea of some suffixes of adjectives determining "the relation to some anatomical formation". Many of them are used in the clinical terminology as well (-al, -ar, -e, -in, -ic)and retain the same meanings, though suffix –ic may acquire an additional meaning – that of “ characterized or caused by the condition mentioned in the root of the term, like: traumaticus – caused by trauma, comatosus – in a state of coma, etc..

pelvis renalis

linea glutea

(pathology): cancer alveolaris

anuria renalis

hernia glutea

-id

e.g.: mastoideus, a, um (mastoid) – looking like breast

characterized by;

e.g.: fibrosus, a, um (fibrous) – composed of or

containing fibroblasts;

e.g.: incisivus,a,um (incisive) – able to cut;

e.g.: seminifer (seminiferous)– carrying or conducting

the semen;

oophorus – egg bearing;

-genus (a, um) - (Engl. -genic / - genous)

– causing some disease;

e.g.: cancerogenus, a, um – (cancerogenic = carcinogenic)

– causing cancer;

pyogenus, a, um – (pyogenous, pyogenic) – pus-foming;

relating to pus formation; causing pus

formation;

osteogenus, a, um – (osteogenous, osteogenic) – relating to

the formation of a bone; causing bone

formation;

hepatogenus, a, um – (hepatogenous, hepatogenic) – caused

by damage in the liver; of hepatic origin,

formed in the liver.

Lingula, alaris, orbitalis, venosus, squamosus, cellula, canaliculus, spinosus, pterygoideus, thyroideus, laryngeus, styloideus, vasculosus, cavernosus, parietalis, pelvinus;

cystosus, comatosus, paralyticus, ulcerosus, serosus, diabeticus, mucosus, infectiosus, spasmaticus, seminifer, hepatogenus, incisivus, progressivus, thyreogenus, cancerogenus / carcinogenus.
NOUN SUFFIXES:

1. Diminutives (nouns, designating smaller structures):

The suffix is added to the base of the motivying noun plus the endings of the 1^st and 2^nd declinations (us, a, um) depending on the gender of the motivying noun and irrespective of its declension.

e.g. : -ul- vena, ae f  venula, ae f ( Engl. –ule)

globus, i m  globulus, i m

auris, auris f  auricula, ae f (ear)

of bending ) (Engl. –tion, -sion)

(Engl. – ure; -tion)

(Engl. - -or; -er).