Medical Terminology For Dummies
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Your journey through medical terminology will take you far and wide, and will require that you know terms for all parts of the body. The following terms explore the outside of the body.

Root Word What It Means Example(s)
Blephar/o Eyelid or eyelash Blepharoplasty: Surgical repair of the eyelids
Cephal/o Head Cephalocentesis: Surgical puncture of the head (skull)
Cephalomegaly: Enlargement of the head (skull)
Cervic/o Neck or cervix Cervicodynia: Pain in the neck
Cervicitis: Inflammation of the cervix
Cheil/o, chil/o Lip Cheilophagia: Biting of the lips
Derm/a/o, dermat/o Skin Dermatitis: Inflammation of the skin
Dermatologist: Physician who studies and treats diseases of the skin
Dermatome: Instrument used for cutting thin skin slices for skin grafting
Dors/i, dors/o Back or posterior Dorsalgia: Pain in the back
Gingiv/o Gums in mouth Gingivitis: Inflammation of the gums
Inguin/o Groin Inguinodynia: Pain in the groin
Irid/o Iris of eye Iridectomy: Surgical removal of the iris
Lapar/o Abdomen, loin, flank Laparotomy: Cutting into the abdomen
Laparoscopy: Visual examination into the abdomen
Lingu/o Tongue Sublingual: Under the tongue
Mamm/a, mamm/o Breast Mammoplasty: Surgical repair or reconstruction of the breast
Mast/o Breast Mastectomy: Surgical removal of the breast
Odont/o Teeth Odontalgia: Toothache
Onych/o Nails Onychophagia: Habit of biting the nails
Onychomalacia: Softening of the nails
Ophthalm/o, ocul/o Eyes Ophthalmologist: Physician studying eyes and treatment of eye disease
Optic/o, opt/o Seeing, sight Optician: One who fills the ophthalmologist’s prescription for corrective eye glasses
Or/o Mouth Orolingual: Pertaining to the mouth and tongue
Ot/o Ear Otitis media: Inflammation of the middle ear
Otodynia: Earache
Pelv/o Pelvis Pelvimetry: Measurement of dimensions and capacity of the pelvis
Pod/o Foot Podarthritis: Inflammation of the joints of the foot
Rhin/o Nose Rhinoplasty: Nose job
Rhinorrhea: Discharge of mucus from the nose (runny nose)
Stomat/o Mouth Stomatitis: Inflammation of the oral mucosa or lining of the mouth
Thorac/o Chest Thoracentesis: Surgical puncture into the chest cavity
Thoracotomy: Surgical incision into the chest cavity

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