Language/Modern-greek-1453/Vocabulary/Greek-Roots-in-Medecine
Hello Greek learners,
Medical terminology, however complex it may be, can be decoded by familiarizing yourself with the roots of words deriving in particular from the Greek language.
This lesson concerns general concepts (diseases, colors, position).
This list is not exhaustive: it details some of the most frequently used words. Knowing them will open up a whole new world to you, as you can get a feel for what doctors are talking about, before you even find the definition or ask for further explanation.
Happy learning!😀
Take some time to dive into these other pages after completing this lesson: City, Time Seasons Days Months, Medical terminology Greek & Restaurant.
Colors[edit | edit source]
Color | Greek root | Example |
---|---|---|
black | melano- | melanocyte |
blue | cyano- | cyanosis |
gray | polio- | poliomyelitis |
green | chlor(o)- | chlorephidrosis |
purple | porphyr(o)- | Porphyroblast/uropurpurin |
red | erythr(o)-, rhod(o)- | erythrocyte/rhodopsin rubella |
red-yellow | cirrh(o)- | cirrhosis |
white | leuc-, leuk- | leukocyte/albinuria |
yellow | xanth(o)- | xanthemia/medulla ossium flava |
Diseases[edit | edit source]
Disease | Greek root | Example |
---|---|---|
abnormal condition | -iasis | amebiasis
(infection with or other pathogenic ameba, amebic dysentery.) |
abnormal fear | -phobia | aquaphobia |
abnormal softening | -malacia | arteriomalacia (Softening of the arteries) |
pain | -algia -dynia | cheiralgia (pain in the hand),
gastrodynia or gastralgia (any stomach pain ) |
ambryonic/immature | -blast | blastocyst (are the specialized extracorporeal issues ) |
condition of | -sis
-y |
actinobacillosis
epilepsy |
dilation, expansion | -ectasis | atelectasis (collapse of the lungs, as from bronchial obstruction) |
disease | -pathy | acropathy (any disease of the extremities) |
disintegration | -lysis | aminolysis (is reactions involving the cleavage of chemical bonds) |
displacement | -ectopia | neurectopia (dislocation of a nerve trunk; a nerve follows an anomalous course) |
drooping | -ptosis | glossoptosis (posterior displacement of the tongue into the pharynx) |
enlargement | -megaly | hepatomegaly |
excessive abnormal flow | -rrhage, -rrhagia | hemorrhage, salpingorrhagia (hemorrhage from a uterine tube) |
flow; discharge | -rrhea | glycorrhea (discharge of sugar from the body) |
formation, development | -plasm
-plasia |
cytoplasm (cell substance between the cell membrane and the nucleus)
displasia (abnormal development of the tissues) |
hardening | -sclerosis | encephalosclerosis (hardening of the brain) |
hernia, protrusion | -cele | bronchocele (dilatation of a bronchus, goiter, especially a cystic goiter) |
inflammation | -itis | dermatitis |
narrowing | -stenosis | gastrostenosis |
paralysis | -plegia | iridoplegia (paralysis of the sphincter of iris.iridoparalysis) |
presence of blood | -emia | acnemia |
produces, generates | -genesis | antiketogenesis
(biochemical process through which organisms bodies by breaking down fatty acids and ketogenic amino acids) |
producing | -genic | algogenic (allodynia, hyperalgesia) |
rupture | -rrhexis | myorrhexis (tearing of a muscle) |
state, condition | -ia; -ism | acetonemia (an excess of ketone bodies in the blood) |
substance in urine | -uria | citrullinuria (enhanced urinary excretion of citrulline; a manifestation of citrullinemia) |
swelling | -edema | cephaledema |
tumor, mass | -oma | acrospiroma (tumor of the up distal dermal segment of a sweat gland) |
unusual or diseased condition | -osis | acanthosis (diffuse hypertrophy or thickening of the prickle cell layer of the skin) |
vomiting | -emesis | melenemesis (vomiting of dark-coloured or blackish material) |
weakness | -paresis | enteroparesis |
Description[edit | edit source]
Description | Greek Root | Examples |
---|---|---|
above | epi- | epidermic/suprascapular |
across, through | dia | diacetyl/transretinal/per os |
all, total | holo- | holocrine gland |
around/surrounding | peri- | peripapillary/circumarticular |
away from
deriving from |
apo | apocrine
desensitize |
bad, incorrect | cac(o)-, dys- | cacosmia,dyspepsia
malabsorption |
before | ante- | antebrachium preanesthetic/prochordal |
behind, after | meta | metacarpum/postaxial |
bent, crooked | ankyl(o)- | ankyloglossia |
big, huge, large | mega-, megal(o)- | atriomegaly/magnification |
broad, wide | eury- | eurycephalic/latissimus dorsi |
cold | cry(o)- | cryoanesthesia/frigidity |
dead | necr(o)- | adiponecrosis/antemortem |
different, additional | hetero- | cardiac heterotaxia |
double | diplo- | diploneural/duplication |
equal | iso- | anisodactyly/equinovalgus |
equal | is(o)- | isoantibody/equiaxial |
FALSE | pseud(o)- | pseudoarthrosis |
fast | tachy- | tachyarrythmia/pulsus celer |
female, feminine | thely- | thyeligenic |
few | oligo- | oligoamnios/paucisynaptic |
flat | platy- | platyglossal/planigraphy |
good, well | eu- | eucholia/beneceptor |
great | mega-, megal(o)- | acromegalia/magnification |
half | hemi- | hemianopia/semicircular |
hard | scler(o)- | atherosclerotic/dura mater |
heavy | bar(o)- | bariatrics/gravida |
hollow | coel(o)- | coelomycete/cavity |
huge | megal(o)- | megalocardia/magnocellular |
Inside, within | endo- | endoscopy |
irregular | poikil(o) | osteopoikilosis |
left | levo- | levocardia/sinistrocular |
less | hypo- | hypovolemia |
little | micro | microscope |
long | macr(o)- | macroadenoma/caput longum |
many, much | poly- | polyadenous/multiarticular |
middle | mes(o)- | acromesomelia |
more, in excess | hyper- | hypertension |
narrow | sten(o)- | aortostenosis/aorta angusta |
new | neo- | neoblastic/de novo |
normal, correct, straight | orth(o)- | orthopedics/rectum |
old | paleo- | paleocortex/veterans |
one | mono | monoamelia/unilateral |
outside | ec- exo | ectopic/exocrine
extrabuccal |
part, partly | mero | merocline gland |
proto | First, most important | protoerythrocyte |
right | dexi(o)- | dexiocardia/dextrogastria |
sharp | oxy- | paroxysm/acute |
short | brachy- | brachycardia/brevicollis |
slow | brady- | bradycinesia/tardive |
small | micr(o)- | microadenoma/pulsus parvus
follicle/nodule |
soft | malac(o)- | malacoplakia/fibroma molle |
thick | pachy- | acropachy/crassamentum |
twice/two | dis- | disomy/bisacromial |
underneath | hypo- | hypoglossal/subcutaneous |
varied, various | poikilo- | poikiloblast/acne varioliformis |
well, good | eu- | eudipsia/benign |
Sources[edit | edit source]
Other Lessons[edit | edit source]
- Geography
- Old words still valid
- House
- Count to 10
- Beach
- Χώρες Γλώσσες Εθνικότητες
- Vegetables
- Introductions and greetings in Modern Greek
- Useful Sentenses
- Kitchen
- Animal
- Hotel
- Countries (Xwres Χώρες)
- Education
- Clothes