BreakThru Learner Series – BreakThru Mentoring

10 Steps You Need to Take to Prepare for Pre-Med While in High School

BreakThru October 16, 2021

Tackling Problems with Pareto

Learn how to use a Pareto Chart to tackle your pre-med problems!

BreakThru June 5, 2021

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Physics Basics for Pre-Meds

Physics tends to be a challenging course for premedical students. Let's review some of the basics to get you off to a good start!

Ali Tahir April 11, 2021

Academic Probation

BreakThru Learner Series: Academic Probation or Warning Table of Contents How Do You Wind Up on Academic Probation? Hopefully if…

BreakThru January 22, 2021

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Help! I Failed a Class. / Exam / Assignment / Etc. How Bad is Failing a Class as a Pre-Med?

Help I failed my class! Hopefully you've never been in this situation, but if you do find yourself in it, read our post. This writer is not proud to …

BreakThru January 21, 2021

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Biochemistry Basics for Pre-Medical Students

Biochemistry Basics for pre-medical students is an extremely brief review of a few key biochemistry concepts. We'll give you some strategies and areas…

BreakThru January 16, 2021

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Chemistry Basics for Pre-Medical Students

Welcome to chemistry basics for pre-medical students! We'll cover some essential concepts and study tips that will help you organize your learning.

BreakThru January 13, 2021

Anatomy Basics for Pre-Medical Students

Explore essential anatomy basics for pre-medical students in our latest article! We'll lightly touch upon each topic as we look at all of the differen…

BreakThru January 10, 2021

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Biology Basics For Pre-Medical Students

Review some of the key concepts you'll be learning in our post on Biology Basics for Pre-Medical Students. Concept and Study Tips!!

BreakThru January 9, 2021

Medical Terminology Basics: 305 Useful Terms to Know!

Learn 305 key medical terminology terms and also learn why they are so important to communicating in medicine!

BreakThru January 9, 2021

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	Root Word	Meaning	Example	Literal Not Real Meaning
1	Acr--/o	Extremities	Acromegaly	Enlarged Extremities
2	Amb-/i	Both Sides	Ambidextrous	Both Hands
3	Adren-/o	Adrenal	Adrenalectomy	Adrenal Removal
4	Anter--/o	Front	Anterior
5	Aud/i-/o	Hear	Audiogram	Hear Record
6	Aut--/o	Self	Autophagy	Self Eating
7	Axill--/o	Armpit	Axillary Nodes
8	Arth-/o	Joint	Arthrocentesis	Joint Aspiration
9	Bio-	Life	Biology	Study of Life
10	Brachi-/o	Arm	Brachioplexus	Arm Braid
11	Bucc-/o	Cheek	Buccal gland
12	Caput-/o	Head	Caput succedaneum	Head Substitute
13	Cardi-/o	Heart	Pericardium	Around Heart
14	Carcin-/o	Cancer	Carcinogen
15	Carp-/o	Wrist	Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
16	Cervic-/o	Neck	Cervical Stenosis	Neck Narrowing
17	Cheil-/o	Lip	Cheilosis
18	Chil-/o	Lip
19	Chir-/o	Lip
20	Chol-/e-/o	Gall
21	Cholecyst-/o	Gallbladder	Cholecytecomy	Gallbladder Removal
22	Choledoch-/o	Common Bile Duct	Choledocolithiasis	Common Bile Duct Stone
23	Cili-/o	Eyelash	Ciliary
24	Cor-/o	Pupil	Cornea
25	Cost-/o	Rib	Costophrenic Angle
26	Crani-/o	Skull	Craniotomy
27	Cubit-/o	Elbow	Cubital Tunnel
28	Cyt-/o	Cell	Cytokine	Cell Movement
29	Dactyl-/o	Fingers	Dactylitis	Finger Inflammation
30	Derm-/a-/o	Skin	Dermatitis	Skin Inflammation
31	Dermat/a-/o	Skin
32	Duoden/o	Duodenum	Duodenal Ulcer
33	Ech-/o	Sound	Echocardiogram	Sound Heart Picture
34	Estr-/o	Female	Estrogen	Female Producing
35	Faci-/o	Face	Facial Nerve
36	Gastr/i-/o	Stomach	Gastritis	Stomach Inflammation
37	Gingiv-/o	Gums	Gingivitis	Gum Inflammation
38	Glauc-/o	Gray	Glaucoma	Gray Swelling
39	Gloss-/o	Tongue	Glossopharyngeal Nerve
40	Gluc-/o	Sugar	Glucose	Sugar Full
41	Gnath-/o	Jaws	Micrognathia	Small Jaws
42	Hepat-/o	Liver	Hepatitis	Liver Inflammation
43	Hist-/o	Tissues	Histology	Study of Tissues
44	Inguin-/o	Groin	Inguinal Canal
45	Intestin-/o	Intestines
46	Irid-/o	Iris
47	Labi-/o	Lips
48	Lapar-/o	Abdomen	Laparotomy	Abdomen Opening
49	Later-/o	Side	Dorsolateral	Back and Side
50	Lingu-/o	Tongue	Lingual Nerve
51	Lip-/o	Fats	Lipoma	Fat Mass
52	Lymph-/o	Lymph	Lymphoma	Lymph Mass
53	Mamm-/a-/o	Breast	Mammogram	Breast Record
54	Mast-/o	Breast	Mastectomy	Breast Removal
55	Melan-/o	Black	Melanocyte	Black Cell
56	My-/o	Muscle	Myoclonus	Muscle Confused
57	Myel-/o	Bone Marrow	Myeloblast	Bone Marrow Immature Cell
58	Nas-/o	Nose	Nasopharyngeal
59	Necr-/o	Death	Necrosis	Death State
60	Nephr-/o	Kidney	Nephrology
61	Neur-/o	Nerve	Neuroblastoma
62	Odont-/o	Teeth	Odontophobia	Teeth Fear
63	Occipit-/o	Back of Head	Occipital Bone
64	Ocul-/o	Eye	Oculoscope	Eye Instrument
65	Ophthalm-/o	Eyes	Opthalmoscope	Eye Instrument
66	Or-/o	Mouth	Oropharynx
67	Oss-/e-/o	Bone Marrow	Intraosseus Injection
68	Ot-/o	Ear	Otoscope	Ear Instrument
69	Palat-/o	Roof of Mouth	Palatoplasty	Roof of Mouth Repair
70	Pancreat-/o	Pancreas	Pancreatitis	Pancreas Inflammation
71	Path-/o	Disease	Pathology	Study of Diseases
72	Pelv/i-/o	Pelvis	Pelvis
73	Pharmac-/o	Drugs	Pharmacokinetics	Drug Motion
74	Phleb-/o	Vein	Phlebotomy	Vein Cutting
75	Phren-/o	Diaphragm	Costophrenic Cartilage
76	Pil-/o	Hair	Piloerection
77	Pulmon-/o	Lungs	Pulmonologist
78	Pod-/o	Foot	Podiatry	Foot Healing
79	Psych-/o	Mind	Psychology	Study of the Mind
80	Rect-/o	Rectum
81	Rhin-/o	Nose	Rhinoplasty	Nose Repair
82	Sacr-/o	Sacrum	Sacroilliac
83	Sept-/o	Infection	Septic Shock
84	Sial-/o	Saliva	Sialadenitis
85	Somat-/o	Body	Somatoform Disorder
86	Splen-/o	Spleen	Splenectomy	Spleen Removal
87	Steth-/o	Chest	Sthethoscope	Chest Instrument
88	Tal-/o	Ankle	Talofibular
89	Tars-/o	Foot	Metatarsals
90	Thorac-/o	Chest	Thoracentesis	Chest Aspiration
91	Thyr-/o	Thyroid	Thyroid
92	Toxic-/o	Poison	Thyrotoxicosis	Thyroid Toxic
93	Trachel-/o	Neck	Tracheotomy	Neck Opening
94	Trich-/o	Hair	Trichotillomania	Hair Delusion
95	Ur-/e-/o	Urine	Urease	Urine Cleave
96	Uter-/o	Uterus	In Utero
97	Ventr-/o	Front	Ventral Side
98	Vesic-/o	Bladder
99	Viscer-/o	Viscera (Aka internal organs)	Viscerosomatic	Viscera Body
100	Xer-/o	Dry	Xeromycteria	Dry Nostril

Number	Prefix	Meaning	Comments / Examples
1	A-	Not/Lacking	Anoxic
2	Algo-	Pain	Algogenic
3	An-	Without	Angiogenesis
4	Ab-	Away	Abductors -Think "Away"
5	Ad-	Towards	Adductors - Think "ADDing"
6	Brady-	Slow	Bradycardia
7	Brachy-	Short	Brachydactyly
8	Cata-	Lower	Cataracts
9	Com-	Together	Composite
10	Contra-	Opposite	Contralateral
11	Dis-	Apart	Distal
12	Dys-	Bad	Dysgenesis
13	Epi-	Above	Epiphysis
14	Encephalo-	Brain	Encephalitis
15	Extra-	Beyond	Extra Occular
16	Extro-	Outside	Extroverted
17	Hemato-	Blood	Hematocrit
18	Hemi-	Half	Hemicolon
19	Hyper-	Excessive	Hypercalcemia
20	Inter	Between	Interstitial
21	Intra-	Within	Intracapsular
22	Intro-	Into	Introductory
23	Macro-	Large	Macrocytic
24	Mal-	Bad	Malaise
25	Mes-	Middle	Mesolimbic
26	Meso-	Middle	Mesocortical
27	Meta-	Change	Metastasis
28	Micro-	Small	Microcytic
29	Neo-	New	Neoplasm
30	Neuro-	Nerve	Neurotoxic
31	Oligo-	Small / Scarce	Oliguria
32	Onco-	Tumor	Oncogenic
33	Pan-	All / Throughout	Pancytopenia
34	Para-	Beyond / After	Parasite
35	Per-	Through	Perception
36	Peri-	Around	Peripheral
37	Poly-	Many	Polyuria
38	Post-	After	Postoperative
39	Presby-	Old Age	Presbyopia
40	Pseudo-	Fake	Pseudoscience
41	Quadri-	Four	Quadriplegic
42	Re-	Again	Reoccurance
43	Retro-	Behind	Retroperitoneal
44	Semi-	Half	See Hemi
45	Sub-	Under	Subsection
46	Super-	Above	Superior
47	Sym-	Together	Sympathetic
48	Syn-	With / Joint	Synchondrosis
49	Tachy-	Fast	Tachycardia
50	Trans-	Through	Transection
51	Tri-	Three	Triscuspid
52	Endo-	Within	Endocarditis

Number	Suffix	Meaning	Comments / Examples
1	-ac / -al / -ic	Pertaining to	Cardiac "Cardio- + -ac"
2	-algia	Pain	Myalgia
3	-arche	Beginning	Menarch
4	-ase	Enzyme	Protease
5	-cele	Protrusion	Hydrocele
6	-centesis	Fluid Withdrawal	Pericardiocentesis
7	-cidal	Kill / Destroy	Fungicidal
8	-clasis	Break	Arthroclasis
9	-constriction	Narrowing	Venoconstriction
10	-ctye	Cell	Pneumocyte
11	-desis	Surgical Fusion	Fasciodesis
12	-dilation	Expansion	Venodilation
13	-dynia	Pain	Mastodynia
14	-ectasis	Stretch	Atelectasis
15	-ectomy	Removal	Craniectomy
16	-edema	Swelling / Inflammation	Angioedema
17	-ema	Condition	Erythema
18	-emia	Related to blood	Anemia
19	-emesis	Vomit	Hematemesis
20	-euysm	Expanding	Aneurysm
21	-form	Resembling	Fusiform
22	-genesis	Origin	Angiogenesis
23	-genic	Produced By	Vasogenic
24	-globin	Protein	Hemoglobin
25	-gram	Record	Mammogram
26	-graph	Recording Instrument	Elecrtrocardiograph (EKG)
27	-graphy	Process of Recording	Chromotography
28	-ia	Condition	Phobia
29	-ism	Process	Allochroism
30	-itis	Inflammation	Gastritis
31	-lysis	Cut / Separate	Hemolysis
32	-malacia	Softening	Osteomalacia
33	-mania	Obsession	Hypermania
34	-megaly	Enlargement	Hepatomegaly
35	-mortem	Death	Postmortem
36	-oma	Mass / Tumor	Lipoma
37	-one	Hormone	Testosterone
38	-opsy	Display Of	Autopsy
39	-ostomy	Artificial Surgical Opening	Colonostomy
40	-otomy	Incision / Cutting	Tracheotomy
41	-paresis	Weakness	Hemiparesis
42	-penia	Deficiency	Osteopenia
43	-phagia	Devour / Eat	Dysphagia
44	-phasia	Speech	Dysphasia
45	-pnea	Breathing	Apnea
46	-rrhea	Flow	Rhinorrhea
47	-scope	Instrument to Examine	Stethoscope
48	-scopy	Examination	Fluoroscopy
49	-somnia	Sleep	Insomnia
50	-stasis	Stop	Hemostasis
51	-uria	Urine	Polyuria

Number	Term	Meaning
1	Acute	Sudden onset
2	Admit	the act or process of accepting someone into a hospital, clinic, or other treatment facility as an inpatient
3	Adverse Effects	An unexpected medical problem that occurs with a treatment drug/therapy
4	Albumin	Protein made by the liver that prevents fluid from leaking out of the bloodstream
5	AMA	Against Medical Advice
6	Angina	Marked chest pain
7	Anhedonia	Inability to feel pleasure
8	Anoxic	Without oxygen
9	Apnea	Temporary cessation of breathing
10	Arterial	Relating to the arteries
11	Asymptomatic	Presenting without any symptoms despite having a disease
12	Autonomic	Part of the nervous system that supplies the internal organs
13	Benign	Not cancerous
14	Biopsy	Sample of tissue to be examined
15	Bradycardia	Heart Rate <60
16	Carcinogen	Substance that can cause cancer
17	Caudad	Toward the feet
18	Cephalad	Toward the head
19	Chronic	Long-lasting
20	Coma	A deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened
21	Concussion	A head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning.
22	Creatinine	A waste product by muscles
23	CT Scan	a useful imaging modality that produces tomographic images of a body, allowing the user to see inside the body without cutting into it
24	Cytokine	Substances secreted during an immune response
25	Demarcated	Boundary
26	Diabetes Mellitus	A disease that leads to impaired insulin regulation
27	Distal	Away from center of the body
28	DNR	Do Not Rescusitate
29	Dorsal	Upper side
30	Dyspnea	Difficulty breathing
31	Echocardiogram	Ultrasound-based imaging to create an outline of the heart
32	Edema	Swelling
33	Embolism	Obstruction of an artery
34	EMR	Electronic Medical Records
35	Endocarditis	Inflammation within the cardiac walls
36	Erythema	Reddening of the skin due to dilatation of capillaries
37	Etiology	Origins of a disease
38	Exacerbation	Worsening of a disease
39	Fascia	Flat band of tissue below the skin that covers underlying tissues and separates different layers of tissue
40	GERD	Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a long-term condition where acid from the stomach comes up into the esophagus
41	Guarding	An involuntary reaction to protect an area of pain
42	Hematocrit	Value that indicates how much of a person's blood is made up of red blood cells
43	Hemoglobin	Molecule that carries oxygen
44	Hyperglycemia	High levels of glucose
45	Hyperlipidemia	High levels of lipids
46	Hyperreflexia	Overactive reflexes
47	Hypertension	High blood pressure
48	Hyporeflexia	Underactive reflexes
49	Hypotension	Low blood pressure
50	Hypoxic	Low levels of oxygen
51	Idiopathic	Denoting an unknown cause
52	Infectious	Easily transmitted between hosts
53	Inpatient	Someone admitted into the hospital
54	Lesion	Damage or abnormal change in the tissue of an organism, usually caused by disease or trauma
55	Leukemia	Cancer of the body's blood-forming tissues, including the bone marrow and the lymphatic system
56	Ligament	Fibrous connective tissue
57	Lymphoma	Cancer of the lymphatic system
58	Malaise	a general feeling of discomfort, illness, or uneasiness whose exact cause is difficult to identify
59	Malignant	Cancerous with ability to spread to other parts of the body
60	Medicaid	A USA health insurance program for those with limited income
61	Medicare	The USA's health insurance program for people age 65 or older or with a disability
62	Metabolic Syndrome	The name for a group of risk factors that raises your risk for heart disease and other health problems
63	MRI	Magnetic resonance imaging is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to form pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes of the body.
64	Multifactorial	Denoting multiple causes
65	Myalgia	Muscle pain
66	Myocardial Infarction	An event where cardiac tissue is deprived of oxygen and dies
67	Neoplasm	Abnormal tissue growth
68	Neutrophils	The most common type of white blood cell
69	Noncompliant	Referring to a patient who does not take their medications or follow medical recommendations
70	Noninvasive	A procedure that doesn't require opening the body
71	Order	Written directions provided by a prescribing practitioner for a specific medication to be administered to an individual
72	Orthopnea	Difficulty breathing while lying down
73	Outpatient	Someone receiving medical treatment outside of the hospital. i.e. a clinic
74	Parasympathic	The part of the involuntary nervous system that serves to slow the heart rate, increase intestinal and glandular activity, and relax the sphincter muscles.
75	Parenteral	Administered or occurring elsewhere in the body than the mouth and alimentary canal
76	Pleurisy	Inflammation of the pleura that seperates the lungs from the chest wall
77	Pneumonia	Infection that occurs in the air sacs of the lungs
78	Polypharmacy	Usage of multiple medications concurrently
79	Proximal	Close to center of the body
80	Pulmonary Embolism	A blood clot that blocks one or more pulmonary arteries
81	Referred pain	Pain occuring at a site other that the affected area
82	Remission	Temporary or permanent disapperance of the signs and symptoms of cancer or other disease
83	Rhinorrhea	Runny Nose
84	Seizure	An electrical disturbance that results in abnormal activity of the brain
85	Sepsis	Massive inflammation as a result of infection leading to a life-threatening condition
86	Shock	Sudden drop in blood pressure resulting in the person not being able to get enough blood or oxygen to their organs
87	Side Effects	A documented effect that can occur with a treatment drug/therapy
88	Sinusitis	Inflammation of the sinuses
89	Stroke	Manifestation of a part of the brain lacking oxygen and blood flow leading to cell death
90	Subacute	Rather recent onset or somewhat rapid change.
91	Subcutaneous	Below the skin
92	Sympathetic	A part of the nervous system that serves to accelerate the heart rate, constrict blood vessels, and raise blood pressure
93	Syncope	Temporary loss of consciousness
94	Tachycardia	Heart Rate >100
95	Tender	Pain to touch
96	Troponin	Protein that can indicate cardiac damage
97	Ulcer	Open sore or erosion
98	Valgus	excessive outward angulation of the distal segment of a bone or joint
99	Varus	excessive inward angulation of the distal segment of a bone or joint
100	Venous	Relating to the veins
101	Ventral	Underside
102	Virulent	Indicating a rapid, severe, and destructive course for a viral infection

BreakThru Learner Series:

An Introduction: Medical Terminology Basics

Table of Contents

It's all Greek (or Latin) to Me!

History of Medical Terminology

Beginnings, Middles, and Ends!

100 Medical Root Words

52 Prefixes

51 Suffixes

102 Useful Medical Terms

What Next?

The Path to Medical School Can Feel Long And Unclear