Anatomical position9
2.2 Singular and plural9
2.3 Colloquial or correct?9
Studying the medical sciences involves learning a new language, more than half of which is anatomical. A brief excursion into words and grammar is both desirable and necessary, and Table 2.1 gives some of the most commonly occurring words, prefixes and suffixes that you are unlikely to have met before in this context.
| Term | Meaning and example |
|---|---|
| ab- | Away from. Abduct: move away from midline |
| ad- | Towards. Adduct: move towards midline |
| adeno- | Related to glands |
| afferent | Travelling towards. Afferent nerve impulse: towards the brain and spinal cord |
| anastomosis | Network (usually arteries or veins) receiving inputs from more than one source (plural: anastomoses) |
| anterior | Front (with reference to anatomical position); see ventral |
| -blast | Primitive cell or structure which gives rise to other cell type or structure. Osteoblast: primitive bone-forming cell. See-cyte |
| brachial | Pertaining to the arm (shoulder–elbow) |
| branchial | Associated with the entrance to the digestive system derived from primitive buccopharyngeal structures. Branchial structures are the successors of the gill apparatus in fish |
| bronchial | Pertaining to the bronchi |
| cancer | Malignant tumour |
| carcinoma | Cancer of epithelial (rather than connective tissue) origin |
| cardiac, -um | Heart |
| caudal | Nearer the tail (or where it would be). The kidneys are caudal to the diaphragm |
| cephalic | Nearer to, or pertaining to the head |
| coronal | Side-to-side plane which divides the structure into a front portion and a rear portion (not necessarily equal) |
| cranial | Nearer the head |
| -cyte | Cell. Mature cell type. Osteocyte: cell type found in bone. See -blast |
| deep | Far, or further, from the surface (see superficial) |
| distal to | Further away from. The foot is distal to the thigh (see proximal) |
| dorsal | Towards the back (with reference to anatomical position); similar to posterior in erect humans |
| -ectomy | Removal. Appendicectomy: removal of the appendix |
| efferent | Travelling away from. Efferent nerve impulse: away from the central nervous system |
| endo- | On the inside of. Endocardium: lining of the heart. Endometrium: lining of the uterus. Endoscopy: looking inside |
| endocrine | Secretion by a cell into its blood vessels (see exocrine) |
| epi- | On the surface of. Epithelium: all external surfaces. Epidermis: the epithelium of the skin |
| eversion | Turning the sole of the foot outwards (laterally) |
| ex- | Out of |
| exocrine | Secretion by a cell or group of cells into a duct for transport elsewhere (see endocrine) |
| extend | (Usually) straighten |
| extra- | Outside. Extracapsular: outside the capsule |
| fascia | Two meanings: |
| Loose connective and fatty tissue, of variable thickness: superficial fascia, prevertebral fascia | |
| Fairly tough sheath or membrane: deep fascia, clavipectoral fascia | |
| fasciculus | Group of axons of nerves all serving similar functions (same as tract) |
| flex | (Usually) bend |
| fistula | Artificial connection between two epithelial tubes |
| foramen | Opening or passage, often through bone |
| fossa | Depression, hollow, pit |
| ganglion | A swelling. In the context of the nervous system, its commonest usage, a ganglion is a collection of nerve cell bodies in the peripheral nervous system. It may be a sensory ganglion (without synapses), or an autonomic ganglion (with synapses). See nucleus |
| gyrus | Eminence of brain tissue between two sulci (see sulcus) |
| haemo- | Blood. Haemostasis: stagnation or sluggish flow of blood |
| hiatus | Gap, opening |
| hilum | Place where vessels and nerves enter |
| hyper- | Above, increase. Hyperplasia: increased cell division. Hypertrophy: increase in size (see hypo-) |
