Basic Medical Terminology - S Trivia Quiz

Answer: immediately

Stat is short for statim, a Latin word meaning "at once". When medical staff are requested to do something "stat", it means do it immediately.

Answer: tube

The word parts salping-, salping/o and -salpinx are derived from the Greek word "salpinx", meaning tube or trumpet. This word was applied to anatomical structures which were tubular with a flared end (like a trumpet). In modern medical terminology, these word parts can refer to either the fallopian or uterine tubes or the eustachian tubes in the ears.

For example, theoretically, salpingitis can mean infection or inflammation of either tubes, but in practice, to avoid confusion, salpingitis refers to the fallopian/uterine tubes whereas infection of the eustachian tubes would be labelled otitis media (middle ear infection).

Another way to avoid confusion is to include adjectives, such as uterine or eustachian, to provide context.

Answer: hard

Scler- and scler/o are derived from the Greek "skleros", meaning hard. They can refer specifically to the white outer membrane of the eye, which is called the sclera because of its toughness, or, in a more general sense, they are used to denote a degenerative condition marked by hardness in other body parts.

For example, arteriosclerosis means hardening of the arteries. Scleroderma is a disorder which causes hardening of the skin.

Answer: pertaining to viewing

The suffix -scope at the end of a word denotes an instrument which is used to view something. Typically, the word part in front of it will indicate what is being viewed; for example, otoscope (ot/o = ear), ophthalmoscope (ophthalm/o = eye), and microscope (micro- = small).

When the suffix is -scopy, it indicates the name of the procedure when we use that instrument. For example, when we use an endoscope to look inside the body (endo- = within), the procedure is called endoscopy. These word parts come from the Greek "skopein", meaning to look or examine. You might think stethoscope is a bit of a misnomer since we use it to listen rather than see, but this still comes under the scope (pun intended) of examining.

Answer: to cut

The Latin words "secare" (to cut) and "sectio" (a cutting, cutting off, division) give us a variety of medical terms, all of which have to do with cutting. For example, dissection (cutting open and separating into parts), resection (to cut off and remove part of an organ) and section (a divided part), as well as derivatives such as sub-section, mid-section, and cross-section.

Answer: half

The Latin semi- is linguistically related to the Greek hemi-, both of which mean half. An example of usage is the semicircular canals in the inner ear which control the sense of balance, so-named because they are shaped like a half-circle. The semilunar valves in the heart are shaped like a crescent- or half-moon.

Answer: under

The Latin prefix/word "sub" means under, beneath or less than. It is widely used in both medical terminology and in non-medical English words. Typically, it indicates a position beneath something else, for example, the subclavian arteries are beneath the clavicle (collar bone).

It can refer to reduction in quality (substandard, subacute) or a smaller category within a group (subdivision, subspecies, subsection). It can also mean "less than", for example, subluxation is a partial (or less than complete) dislocation of a bone from its joint.

Answer: above

The Latin "supra" means above, over, before, beyond, and upper. Like its counterpart sub-, it usually indicates a position above something else, but can also mean an increase in quantity or quality. Examples of usage include suprapubic (the region of the abdomen above the pubic bones) and suprascapular (above the scapula or shoulder blade).

Answer: sleep

In Roman mythology, the god Somnus (Latin word for sleep) was the personification of sleep. Medical conditions related to sleep include somnolence (condition of sleepiness), insomnia (inability to sleep), somnambulism (sleep-walking) and somniloquist (one who talks in their sleep).

The Greek equivalent to Somnus was the god Hypnos, whose name gives us words like hypnotic (a drug which induces sleep) and hypnosis (a sleep-like state).

Answer: chest

Steth/o, meaning chest is derived from the Greek word "stethos" meaning the chest or breast. In modern medical terminology, it means chest rather than breast (mamm/o and mast/o are used instead to denote the breast). There are a few medical terms which use this word part but the only one you are likely to come across is stethoscope, an instrument for examining or listening to the chest.

The word stethoscope was coined by its inventor, a French physician, René Laënnec, in 1819. Apparently his invention was prompted by the fact that Laënnec was not comfortable listening to the heart sounds of his female patients by placing his ear directly on their breasts.