UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF MEDICINE

Let us Look at Examples of Latin Terms:

Many medical terms originating from Latin may already be known to you or you have heard of them, such as the following terms used also in English:

Term	Original Meaning	Application in Medicine
abdomen, adj.abdominal	belly	belly, abdomen
appendix, adj. appendiceal	something "hanging on"	the appendix, attached to the cecum (the first segment of the large intestine, see illustration.)
auscultation, v. to auscult or to auscultate	listening	examination of chest or abdomen by listening with a stethoscope
palpation	touching, palpare=to feel by touch	examination by feeling with the hand

NOTE: Do not confuse the above with the term "palpitation", meaning: "an irregular or rapid heart beat as perceived by the patient", (L.palpitare = to throb)

percussion, compare to English: percussion instruments	striking	striking lightly or tapping the chest or abdomen to determine presence or absence instruments of fluid or air (by observing the resonance)
concussion	striking severely	result of a violent jolting or jarring injury contusion beating a bruise
contusion	beating	a bruise
abrasion, compare to English: razor	shaving off, scraping off, ab- = off, away	a superficial scraping injury
fracture	breakage	a break, a broken bone
suture	stitching	1. material used for closing a wound with stitches; 2. a line of natural union
angina pectoris	oppressive, frightening chest pain; angina = choking pain, pectoris = of the chest	an episode of sudden severe chest pain, caused by temporary lack of oxygen to the heart muscle, often precipitated by severe or excitement and relieved by rest.

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