Appendix 8: Terms Relating to Procedures and Specialties
The table below will illustrate some terms that are related to anatomy and physiology, their root words and their lay English meaning.
| Term | Latin/Greek word component | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Adenoma | Adeno-relating to glands, -oma, referring to cancer | Cancer of glandular tissue |
| Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH) | Adreno-relating to the adrenal glands, -cortico-, relating to the outer layer, -tropic, increasing growth and development | A hormone that directly enhances the function of and release of hormones from the outer layer of the adrenal glands. |
| Costochondritis | Costo-relating to the ribs, chondro- meaning cartilage, -itis- meaning inflammation | Inflammation of the cartilage that connects the ribs to the sternum. |
| Colonoscopy | Colon- referring to the large intestine and scopy-meaning visual exam | An examination of the large intestine, done by entering the anus, with a flexible tube mounted with a camera, to view the mucosal layer. |
| Endoscopy | Endo-meaning inside and scopy- meaning visual exam | An examination of the digestive tract, using a camera, from the mouth to the small intestine. |
| Myoglobin | Myo- meaning muscle. -globin refers to a spherical protein that bonds to oxygen. | A molecule found in muscle cells that holds oxygen for aerobic respiration and creation of ATP for energy. |
| Neuroanatomy | Neuro- relating to the nervous tissue, -anatomy, referring to the study of structures | The study of structures of the brain, spinal cord and nerves. |
| Osteoarthritis | Osteo-meaning bone, arthro- meaning joint, -itis meaning inflammation | Inflammation of the joints of the skeleton, leading to destruction of the cartilage and the formation of bone spurs |
| Otoscope | Oto- refers to the ear, -scope is a tool for examination | A tool for examining the ear |
| Pathology | Patho-disease state, -ology, study of | The study of diseases |
| Periosteum | Peri- surrounding or around, -osteo, related to bone | A connective tissue layer covering the external surface of the bone. |
| Rhinitis | Rhin- referring to the nose, -itis, referring to inflammation | Inflammation of the nose, a runny nose |
