1.4 Combining Forms

Fig. 1.1 is an image of a normal knee and a knee that has osteoarthritis. If you break this term apart, it means “inflammation” (-itis) of the “bone” (oste/o) and “joint” (arthr/o). Note that the combining vowel is dropped because the suffix starts with a vowel.

Fig. 1.2 identifies the lobes of the cerebrum. If you break down this term, it means a “structure” (-um) surrounding the “cerebrum” (cerebr/o). Note that you drop the combining vowel because the suffix begins with a vowel.

An electroencephalogram (EEG) is a common diagnostic test that looks at the electrical activity of the brain. This term means “to record” (-gram) “electricity” (electr/o) in the “brain” (encephal/o). Fig. 1.3 shows a patient getting an electroencephalogram.

Fig. 1.4 is an image of several different types of blood cells. The larger disc-shaped ones are erythrocytes (red blood cells), the round, fuzzy cells are leukocytes (white blood cells), and the tiny disc-shaped cells are thrombocytes (platelets). The term erythrocyte comes from the suffix -cyte, meaning “cell,” and the combining form erythr/o, meaning “red.” Literally, it means “cell that is red” or, more commonly, “red blood cell.”

A laparotomy scar is shown above in Fig. 1.5. This term means “to cut” (-tomy) into the “abdomen” (lapar/o).

Fig. 1.6 is an image of an ophthalmoscope, an instrument used to view and assess the eye. The term means an “instrument” (­scope) to view the “eye” (ophthalm/o). In this term, you keep the combining vowel because the suffix starts with a consonant.

Also, notice the combining form nat/i, meaning “birth,” in the table above. It is one of the few combining forms where the vowel is an i, not an o.

Septicemia means “blood infection,” or literally “blood condition,” from the suffix -emia, and the combining form septic/o, which means “infection.” Septicemia is one of the most serious infections you might see in patients. Depending on when it is identified and the type of infection, the mortality rate can be up to 50% (John Hopkins Medicine, 2022a).

Fig. 1.7 is an image of a fetus created using ultrasonography. An ultrasound can be completed on many locations of the body for diagnostic purposes. The term ultrasonography means “process of recording” (-graphy) “beyond” (ultra-) “sound” (son/o).

The combining form ur/o means “urine” or “urea.” In the term uremia, ur/o means “urea.” This term means “blood condition” (-emia) with “urea” (ur-). Urea is a waste product in blood that builds up when the kidneys are not functioning properly (Betts et al., 2013).

The term uremia often gets confused with the term hematuria; however, hematuria means “a condition of urine” (-uria) with “blood” (hemat-) (Ansorge, 2022).

Fig. 1.8 is an image of inflamed tonsils, or tonsillitis. This term means “inflammation” (-itis) of the “tonsils” (tonsill/o).

Fig. 1.9 is an image of a tracheostomy. This term means an “opening” (-stomy) into the “trachea” (trache/o). There are a number of medical conditions that require a patient to have a tracheostomy, including major burns, long-term comas, and certain types of tumours (John Hopkins Medicine, 2022b).