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SUBJECT LIBGUIDE: SONOGRAPHY: Medical Terminology

Medical terms consist of two or three word parts with linking vowels. 

Prefixes

Medical terms may begin with a prefix. Prefixes modify or enhance the meaning of the term's root by indicating number, location, time or modifying the root's meaning.

Suffixes

Suffixes can modify the meaning of the word, often in very important ways.

Roots

Medical terms always have at least word root. The root provides the core meaning of the term.Example

medical word parts example

The prefix 'myo' means muscle, followed by the root 'card' which means heart and then the suffix 'itis' means inflammation.

So word parts provide the meaning of myocarditis: inflammation of the heart muscle.