Medical Vocabulary Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Roots & Suffixes
Ready to master tenodynia medical terminology or a surgical incision into the thalamus? Start now!
This Medical Vocabulary Quiz helps you practice the achondroplasia root and other terms like -trophy and tenodynia, so you can decode medical words faster. Work through clear questions to check gaps before an exam, with items from appendic/o to the surgery term for a thalamus incision; for a quick refresher, see this roots, prefixes, and suffixes review .
Study Outcomes
- Interpret Achondroplasia Root -
Analyze the elements of the term achondroplasia to determine that the root refers to cartilage formation. This outcome ensures you can explain in the medical term achondroplasia the root means "cartilage."
- Explain the Suffix -trophy -
Describe how the suffix -trophy in the term hypertrophy denotes growth or nourishment. You will be able to clarify the biological processes indicated by this suffix.
- Define Tenodynia -
Understand the construction of tenodynia to recognize it as tendon pain. This will help you accurately use tenodynia in medical terminology discussions.
- Identify Thalamotomy Procedure -
Recognize the components of a surgical incision into the thalamus and name it correctly as thalamotomy. You'll be prepared to interpret and communicate this neurosurgical term.
- Apply Medical Term Analysis -
Utilize root, prefix, and suffix knowledge to decode and construct complex medical vocabulary. This skill will improve your overall proficiency in medical language.
Cheat Sheet
- Achondroplasia Root 'chondro' -
In the medical term achondroplasia the root means 'cartilage', from Greek chondros, highlighting the impaired cartilage formation that leads to dwarfism. The prefix 'a-' denotes absence, so achondroplasia literally means 'without cartilage growth'. Remember chondro by picturing 'chondros' as cartilage under construction.
- Suffix '-trophy' in Hypertrophy -
The suffix -trophy in the term hypertrophy means 'nourishment' or 'growth', as per standards on Mayo Clinic and NIH. In hypertrophy, 'hyper-' means excessive and '-trophy' means growth, so the term describes enlarged muscles in strength training. Use the phrase 'trophy = growth prize' to recall that cells earn a 'prize' when they grow.
- Understanding Tenodynia -
In tenodynia medical terminology, 'teno-' denotes tendon and '-dynia' means pain, a structure from authoritative sources like the National Library of Medicine. This term specifically refers to tendon pain, often seen in sports medicine and orthopedics. Mnemonic tip: 'teno' reminds of 'tendon', and 'dynia' sounds like 'dinner...ouch!'.
- Thalamotomy: Incision into the Thalamus -
A surgical incision into the thalamus is called thalamotomy, combining 'thalamo-' (thalamus) and '-tomy' (incision), consistent with neurosurgical texts from Johns Hopkins. This procedure helps treat movement disorders like Parkinson's by targeting the thalamic nucleus. To remember: 'Tommy cuts' - 'tomy' indicates cutting.
- Constructing Medical Terms Efficiently -
Most medical vocabulary follows a prefix-root-suffix pattern, where each component narrows the meaning, as outlined by University of Washington's medical dictionary. For example, in hypoglycemia: 'hypo-' (low) + 'glyc-' (sugar) + '-emia' (blood condition). Create flashcards categorizing common prefixes, roots, and suffixes to accelerate recall.
