Medical Terminology Simplified

Combining Forms Denoting Color

Skin

3–66 Examine the CFs that denote color and their meanings in the left-hand col-

umn of the table below. Examples of medical terms with their definitions are pro-

vided in the middle column. In the right-hand column, use a slash to break down

each word into its basic elements.

3–67 The -aending in cyan/o/derma, erythr/o/derma, leuk/o/derma, and

melan/o/derma designates that these words are (adjectives, nouns)

____________________.

3–68 Use -dermato build medical words that mean

skin that is red:____________________ / _____ / ____________________

skin that is black:____________________ / _____ / ____________________

skin that is yellow:____________________ / _____ / ____________________

skin that is dry:__________ / _____ / ____________________

Cells

3–69 You already learned that a cell is the smallest basic unit of the human organ-

ism and that every tissue and organ in the human body is made up of cells.

Cyt/o/logy is the study of ____________________.

The word elements cyt/oand -cyteare used to build words that refer to a

__________.

78 CHAPTER 3• Integumentary System

Boldfaceindicates a word root or combining form. Blueindicates a suffix. Pinkindicates a prefix.

albin/ism

ĂL-bĭn-ĭzm

cyan/o/derma

sī-ă-nō-DĔR-mă

erythr/o/derma

ĕ-rĭth-rō-DĔR-mă

leuk/o/derma

loo-kō-DĔR-mă

melan/o/derma

mĕl-ăn-ō-DĔR-mă

xanth/oma

zăn-THŌ-mă

Combining Form Medical Term Word Breakdown

albin/o: white albinism: white condition a l b i n i s m

cyan/o: blue cyanoderma: blue skin c y a n o d e r m a

erythr/o: red erythroderma: red skin e r y t h r o d e r m a

leuk/o: white leukoderma: white skin l e u k o d e r m a

melan/o: black melanoderma: black skin m e l a n o d e r m a

xanth/o: yellow xanthoma: yellow tumor x a n t h o m a

nouns

erythr/o/derma

ĕ-rĭth-rō-DĔR-mă

melan/o/derma

mĕl-ăn-ō-DĔR-mă

xanth/o/derma

zăn-thō-DĔR-mă

xer/o/derma

zē-rō-DĔR-mă

cells

cell