Our complete Medical Terminology list will help you learn some of the most common anatomical and surgical terms by looking at prefixes, suffixes, and roots.
NUMBERS
Many times you’ll encounter a medical term that contains a prefix that describes a number. Here are a few of the most common.
Prefix
Meaning
Example
Mono-, uni-
One
Unilateral
Bi-
Two
Bilateral
Tri-
Three
Triplicate
DIRECTIONS AND POSITIONS
In medicine, you’ll often encounter terms that describe where a procedure or condition takes place on the body.
Prefix
Meaning
Example
Ab-
Away from
Abduction
Ad-
Toward
Adduction
Ecto-, exo-
Outside
Ectoparasite
Endo-
Inside
Endoderm
Epi-
Upon
Epinenephrine
There are also a number of positional and directional medical terms that are not suffixes or prefixes, but are instead standalone words. Here is a short medical billing terminology list of some of the most valuable.
Word
Meaning
Example
Anterior or ventral
At or near the front surface of the body
“Anterior nerves”
Posterior or dorsal
At or near the real surface of the body
“Dorsal surface of the hand”
Superior
Above
“Superior (cranial) aspect”
Inferior
Below
“Inferior aspect”
Lateral
Side
“Lateral aspect”
Distal
Farthest from center
“Axons distal to the injury”
Proximal
Nearest to center
Proximal end of the forearm”
BASIC ANATOMY TERMS
This medical billing terminology list will help you navigate the CPT and ICD manuals, decipher doctor’s reports, and give you a more thorough understanding of the medical practice in general. Let’s look now at a few basic terms for the regions of the body. You might recognize some of them.
Word
Body Part
Abdominal
abdomen
Buccal
Cheek
Cranial
Skull
Digital
Fingers and toes
Femoral
Thigh
Gluteal
Buttock
Hallux
Great toe
Inguinal
Groin
Lumbar
Loin (lowest part of the spine below the false ribs and between the hips)
Mammary
Breast
Nasal
Nose
Occipital
Back of head
Pectoral
Chest
Sternal
Breastbone
Thoracic
Chest
Umbilical
Navel
Ventral
Belly
CONDITIONS
Now that we’ve taken a look at the terms that describe the major regions of the body, let’s turn to some conditions that may affect those body parts in this medical terminology list.
Prefix
Meaning
Example
Ambi-
Both
Ambidextrous
Dys-
Bad, painful, difficult
Dyslexia
Eu-
Good, normal
Eukaryote
Homo-
Same
Homogenous
Iso-
Equal, same
Isotope
Mal-
Bad, poor
Malnutrition
Suffix
Meaning
Example
-algia
Pain
Myalgia
-emia
Blood
Hypoglycemia
-itis
Inflammation
Bronchitis
-lysis
Destruction, break down
Dialysis
-oid
Like
Haploid
-opathy
Disease of
Neuropathy
-pnea
Breathing
Sleep apnea
SURGICAL PROCEDURES
Let’s wrap up this vocabulary review with a look at some of the most common surgical procedures. Since it’s always imperative to list where on the body a surgical procedure was performed, these vocabulary terms are a small but useful addition to this section. Memorize this medical terminology suffixes list and you’ll know instantly what kind of procedure was performed, even if you don’t know exactly what the procedure did.
Suffix
Meaning
Example
-centesis
Puncture a cavity to remove fluid
Amniocentesis
-ectomy
Surgical removal or excision
Hysterectomy
-ostomy
A new permanent opening
Tracheostomy
-otomy
Cutting into, incision
Gastrotomy
-orrhaphy
Surgical repair or suture
Gastrorrhaphy
-opexy
Surgical fixation
Nephropexy
-oplasty
Surgical repair
Rhinoplasty
-otripsy
Crushing or destroying
Lithotripsy
Note: Using a CPT manual to study human anatomy vocabulary. Current CPT manuals come with instructive illustrations, diagrams, and charts all throughout the book, including a medical terminology abbreviations list. In the front of the CPT manual, you should be able to find a list of anatomical illustrations. Bookmark this page and refer to it in case you’re looking for an illustration of the eye or inner ear, or need to remember which artery goes where. Also, be sure to download our e-book for more detailed tables on medical terminology.
In the next section, find our medical terminology abbreviations list.
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