Glossary

Type Ctrl + F into your keyboard to bring up "Find". Then type in the word you want to find and the page should scroll to it.

A

• A-: Without. For example: 'apyrexial' means "without fever".
• Adeno-: Relating to a gland.
• Afferent: Moving towards something. Compare: efferent.
• Alveolus, alveoli. A small expandable sack of cells which inflates with gases inhaled through the trachea and bronchi. This is the functional subunit of the lung.
• Ant-, anti-: Against.
• Antibody: A protein which immune cells produce to bind antigen in the body and on mucosal surfaces. Synonymous with immunoglobulin.
• Antigen: A molecular signature which is recognised by the immune system.
• Artery: a vessel which carries oxygenated blood to tissues through arterioles.
• Auto-: self. E.g. autolysis (self-digesting).
• -aemia: Relating to the contents of the blood.

B

• Bile: A digestive substance produced in the liver and stored in the gallbladder. 
• Biliary: Relating to bile and the vessels which it passes through. 

C

• Calory: A unit of energy. Usually related to nutrient intake or biological energy consumption. 
• -capnia: Relating to carbon dioxide. 
• Carcino-: Relating to cancer. 
• Cardio-: Referring to the heart. 
• Cardiovascular: Referring to the heart and vascular system.
• Caudal: In the direction of the spinal cord. Antonym: Rostral. Compare with: Inferior. 
• Cellular: Referring to cells and their processes. 
• Cellular respiration: The metabolic reactions which allow the body to obtain energy from nutrition and convert it into usable energy stored in chemical bonds. 
• -cephalo, -cephaly, cephalic: Relating to the head.
• Chelation: Removal of a metal from the blood by infusing molecules which are highly attracted to the metal ions. 
• -chromo: Relating to colour.
• Chyme: Lymph which is formed in the intestines and contains high concentrations of triglycerides. It has a milk white appearance. 
• Coagulation: The process of forming solid clots in the blood from specialised protein factors. 
• Copro-: Relating to faeces.
• Corpo-: Relating to the body.
• -crine: Relating to cellular signalling.
• -cyte: Cell. 
• Cyto-: Relating to cells.

D

• Deep: Further away from the surface of the body. Antonym: Superficial.
• Derm-: Referring to the skin. 
• Diabetes: From Greek diabainein (to go through). A pathological state in which a patient produces excessive volumes of urine and drinks excessive amounts of fluid to compensate. Usually refers to diabetes mellitus.
• Dialysis: The process of externally processing the blood to perform the functions of the body. This usually refers to the kidney, and is called renal replacement therapy. It can also refer to extracorporeal liver support. 
• Dys-: Bad, disturbed, disordered. 
• Dysrhythmia: From Greek, "bad rhythm". Refers to abnormal cardiac electrical activity. Synonymous with arrhythmia.

E

• Efferent: Moving away from something. Compare: afferent. 
• -emia: See -aemia.
• Encephalo: Relating to the brain. 
• Endocrin-: Relating to hormonal signalling. 
• Entero-, enteric: Referring to the intestines. 
• Erythema: Redness. 
• Erythro-: Red
• Excretion: The active removal of waste from within the body. 
• Extra-: Outside. 
• Extracorporeal: Outside the human body. 

F

• Febrile: the state of having a fever. 
• Fibro-: relating to fibres. 
• Fibrosis: referring to deposition of fibrous proteins in a tissue. 

G

• Gastric, gastro-: relating to the stomach. 
• Granulocytes: cells which contain many granules to be secreted. These are immune cells. This includes: basophils, eosinophils, neutrophils, mast cells.

 H

• Haemo: relating to blood. 
• Haemoglobin: an oxygen carrying protein which is carried in large concentrations by erythrocytes. 
• Hepatic, hepato-: relating to the liver. 
• Hernia, herniation: a weakness in an anatomical boundary, allowing internal structures to bulge out. This may predispose to strangulation if internal structures leak through an opening and become constricted. 
• Hyper- : excessively high. 
• Hyperglycaemia: high blood glucose. 
• Hypertension: high blood pressure. 
• Hyperthermia: high temperature. 
• Hypo- : excessively low. 
• Hypoglycaemia: low blood glucose. 
• Hypotension: low blood pressure. 
• Hypothermia: low temperature. 
• Hypoxia: a state of inadequate oxygen supply. 

I

• Ig: Immunoglobulin. 
• IM: Intramuscular.
• Immuno: Relating to the immune system.
• Immunoglobulin: A protein which immune cells produce to bind antigen in the body and on mucosal surfaces. Synonymous with antibody. 
• Inferior: Lower.
• Inflammation: A cellular and extracellular state of defense against infection, cancer or trauma.
• Infusion: literally "flowing in". The introduction of a fluid into the body using the force of gravity.  
• Intra-: Inside, into. 
• Intravenous infusion: The infusion into the venous system. 
• Intravenous injection: The introduction of fluid into the venous system by applying force through a syringe.
• Ischaemia: A restriction of blood supply to tissues. 
• IV: Intravenous. 
• -itis: A state of inflammation, with or without an underlying infection. 

L

• Lateral: Away from the midline of the body. Antonym: Medial.
• Leuko-: White
• Lymph: A fluid which drains from tissues into lymphatic vessels, passes through lymph nodes, and eventually returns to systemic circulation through the subclavian veins. 
• Lymphatic vessels: The vessels which connect tissues, lymph nodes and the systemic circulation. 
• Lympho-: Relating to lymph.
• -lysis: Breakdown, splitting up. 

M

• Macro-: Greek: big.
• Mandibular, mandibulo-: Relating to the lower face and lower jaw.
  
• Maxillary, maxillo-: Relating to the upper face and upper jaw.
• Medial: Towards the midline of the body. Antonym: Lateral.
• -megaly: A process of enlargement of a body part.
  
• Membrane: A boundary between two spaces or lining along a structure. These are useful for supporting gateways which selectively allow substances to pass through or perform active transport of substances.
• Mesenteric: Referring to the mesentry and intestines. 
• Metabolic: Referring to metabolism. 
• Metabolism: The sum of all chemical reactions performed within a living organism.
• Myo-: Relating to muscle. 

N

• Necrosis: Death and decomposition of cells, tissues and organs. 
• NIDDM: Non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus. Also known as type 2 diabetes. 
• Nephro-: Relating to the kidneys.
• Neural, Neuro-: Relating to nerves. 

O

• Olfactory: Relating to smell.
• -oma: Relating to a neoplasm.
• Onco-: Relating to cancer.
• Organ: A collection of specialised tissues and extracellular structures which is specialised to perform functions related to its anatomical structure and location. 
• Optic: Relating to the eyes and vision. 
• Opthalmic, opthalmo-: Relating to the eyes and their movement. 
• Osteo: Relating to bone.
• -osis: A formation, a process or a disease state. 
• -oxia: Relating to oxygen.

P

• Parietal: Relating to an outer wall of the body or the outer wall of a body cavity.
• Perfusion: The "flowing through" of blood or tissue fluid through an organ or tissue to reach each cell. 
• -pathic: Relating to disease processes. 
• Pathology: The study of disease processes. A medical specialty which examines tissues and organs to find evidence of disease processes. 
• Pathological: Relating to a disease process. 
• -petrosis: A process of increasing tissue density.
• Physiology: The study of the natural, unaltered functioning of the body. 
• Physiological: Relating to a process performed when the body is in a natural, unaltered state.
• -plasia, -plasm: Relating to cell and tissue growth.
• Plasma: The fluid component of the blood, which remains when the cells are removed.
• -porosis: A process of declining tissue density.
• Psycho-: Relating to the mind or mental illness.
• Psychosomatic: Physical processes or sensations caused by psychological states. 
• Pulmonary: Relating to the lungs. 

R

• Radio-: Relating to electromagnetic waves.  
• Renal: Relating to the kidneys. 
• Respiration: The act of ventilating and perfusing the lungs to facilitate gas exchange between deoxygenated blood and the atmosphere. Also see: Cellular respiration. 
• Respiratory: Referring to the lungs and process of respiration.
• Rostral: In the direction of the nose. Antonym: Caudal. Compare with: Superior.

S

• Sarco-: Relating to connective tissue. 
• Saturation: The proportion of haemoglobin in blood which is currently carrying bound oxygen molecules. 
• Secretion: The production and release of substances from an organism for some external purpose. 
• Serum: The content of the blood, excluding blood cells or clotting factors. 
• Sclero-: Thickened, hardened. 
• Somno-: Relating to sleep.
• Splanchnic: Relating to the organs, vessels and nerves of the abdominal cavity.
• Stasis: Stillness, absence of movement.
• Steato-: Relating to fat.
• Superficial: Towards the surface of the body. Antonym: Deep.
• Superior: Higher. 

T

• -tension: Relating to fluid pressure (especially blood pressure).
• Tissue: A collection of specialised cells and extracellular structures which is dedicated to perform a relatively small number of functions. 
• Trans-: Through, across, penetrating. 

U

• Urea: A nitrogenous waste product, mainly excreted by the kidneys in urine. 
• Uro-: Relating to the urinary tract.

V

• Vascular: Relating to the system of blood vessels which transport blood around the body.
• Vein: A vessel which drains blood from venules to drain tissues of waste and deoxygenated blood. 
• Venous: Relating to veins.
• Ventilation: The proportion of air spaces in the lungs which are being filled by a sufficient supply of oxygen. Or: The act of filling the lung with a gas to reach an optimal saturation.
• Viscera: The organs.
• Visceral: Relating to an organ.

W

• Wall: A mostly impermeable barrier used for protection or structural integrity.