Basic Medical Terminology - N Trivia Quiz

Answer: sleep, stupor

Narc- and narc/o are derived from the Greek "narke" meaning numbness or stupor. In medical terminology, the word parts relate to sleep. For example, the term "narcotic" refers to drugs that induce sleep. Some authorities claim a link between Narcissus, a character in Greek mythology, and the term narcotic because, according to the myth, the youth Narcissus was turned into the flower Narcissus, a plant which has sleep-inducing properties.

The first narcotic drugs were derived from such plants.

Answer: night

Nocte (pronounced noc-tay) is a Latin word meaning night. This word is commonly used in relation to the writing of prescriptions; for example, the instruction "Circadin 2 mg x1 nocte" means that the patient should take one 2-mg tablet of Circadin at night.

It is related to the word nocturnal meaning pertaining to the night. Nocturia is a medical term referring to the passing of urine at night; i.e. the patient's sleep is interrupted by the need to pass urine. Nocturia often occurs in older males with enlarged prostate glands.

Answer: nose

The word parts nas- and nas/o are derived from the Latin "nasus" meaning nose and sense of smell. They occur in medical terms such as nasal (pertaining to the nose) and nasogastric tube (a feeding tube passed through the nose into the stomach). In Ancient Rome, "nasus" only referred to the outer nose but the modern meaning of nasal refers to whatever pertains to the nose, internal as well as external.

Answer: none

Nulli- is a prefix meaning none, or a quantity of zero. It comes from the Latin "nullus" meaning not any or none. It is most commonly utilised in the medical terms nulligravida and nullipara which are used to refer a woman's gynaecological status. Nulligravida refers to a woman who has had no pregnancies. Nullipara refers to a woman who has had no live births.

A nulliparous woman may have had one or more pregnancies which did not result in a live birth (e.g. she may have undergone a termination or suffered a miscarriage).

Answer: nerve

The word parts neur- and neur/o are derived from the Greek "neuron". In Ancient Greece, the word "neuron" referred to any white, cord-like structure. Thus tendons and nerves were often confused, resulting in medical terms such as aponeurosis (a white fibrous membrane which connects a muscle with a tendon - not a nerve, despite the name).

It is also a bit of a misnomer given that nerves may be white or grey. Aristotle and Galen were among the first doctors to distinguish between nerves and tendons and apply the word neuron specifically to nerves.

The word parts have a dual meaning in that they refer to both the individual nerve cells and to the entire nervous system (which includes the brain and spinal cord, as well as the nerve cells). Some examples of usage include neurology (the study of the nervous system), neurones (individual nerve cells), neuritis (inflammation of the nerves), and neuropathy (any disease of the nerves).

Answer: kidney(s)

The Greek word "nephros", meaning kidney, gives us the word part nephr- and nephr/o which are used in words relating to the kidney(s). Some examples are nephritis (inflammation or infection of the kidney), nephrolithiasis (condition of kidney stones), and nephrectomy (surgical removal of the kidney).

The human body normally has two kidneys which perform a number of functions including filtering the blood and creating urine to remove harmful substances from the body, and to maintain a balance of fluids and chemical substances within the body. Each kidney is made up of approximately one million individual filtration units called nephrons.

Answer: new

Neo- is a prefix meaning new; it comes from the Greek "neos" meaning new, young, fresh, or recent. It occurs in medical terms such as neonate and neonatal (referring to newborn babies) as well as neoplasm (another word for a tumour - it translates literally as "new growth/formation"). You may be familiar with the term "neologism" which means a newly created word or expression (neos = new, logos = word). Medical terminology includes many neologisms - new medical terms are being created all the time. Neologism is also a term used in psychiatry, referring to the invention of words which tend to have meaning only to the person who created them.

This commonly occurs as a childhood phase, but when it occurs in an adult, it may be a symptom of a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia.

Answer: death, dead

The Greek word "nekros" gives us the word parts necr- and necr/o. "Nekros" means death, dead, or corpse. Some examples of usage include necropsy (the proper medical term for an autopsy or post-mortem examination), necrophilia (sexual attraction to a dead body), necrophobia (fear of death), and necrosis (the death of some or all of the cells making up a tissue or organ).

Answer: birth

The word parts nat- and nat/i are dervied from the Latin "nativus", meaning innate or birth. They are utilised in medical terms such as antenatal and prenatal (before birth), postnatal (after birth), perinatal (around the time of birth), and neonatal (newborn).

They may also be familiar in non-medical words like nation, native (one who is born in a particular area), and nativity (pertaining to the birth of Jesus Christ).

Answer: nothing by mouth (abbreviation)

NPO is an abbreviation which stands for "nulla (or nil) per os", which in English means "nothing by mouth"; this is an instruction to medical staff to withhold food and fluids from the patient.