Medical Terminology Simplified

Skeletal System • CHAPTER 10 465

Word Element Meaning Word Analysis

orth/o straight orth/o/ped/ics (or-thō-PĒ-dĭks): branch of medicine concerned with prevention

and correction of musculoskeletal system disorders

ped:foot; child

-ics:pertaining to

oste/o bone oste/itis (ŏs-tē-Ī-tĭs): inflammation of bone

-itis:inflammation

Suffixes

-clast to break; oste/o/clast(ŎS-tē-ō-klăst): (mononucleated cell that) breaks down bone

surgical fracture oste/o:bone

An osteoclast destroys the matrix of bone. An osteoclast also refers to an instrument

used to surgically fracture a bone (osteoclasis).

-cyte cell oste/o/cyte(ŎS-tē-ō-sīt): bone cell

oste/o:bone

-desis binding, arthr/o/desis(ăr-thrō-DĒ-sĭs): surgical immobilization of a joint

fixation (of a arthr/o:joint

bone or joint)

-malacia softening oste/o/malacia(ŏs-tē-ō-mă-LĀ-shē-ă): softening and bending of the bones

oste/o:bone

Osteomalacia is caused by a deficiency in vitamin D that results in a shortage or loss

of calcium salts, causing bones to become increasingly soft, flexible, brittle, and

deformed.

-physis growth dia/physis(dī-ĂF-ĭ-sĭs): shaft or middle region of a long bone

dia-:through, across

-porosis porous oste/o/porosis(ŏs-tē-ō-por-Ō-sĭs): porous bones

oste/o:bone

Osteoporosis is characterized by a decrease in bone density with an increase in porosity,

causing bones to become brittle and increasing the risk of fractures.

Pronunciation Help Long sound a ̄in ra ̄te e ̄in re ̄birth ı ̄in ı ̄sle o ̄in o ̄ver u ̄in u ̄nite

Short sound a ̆in a ̆lone e ̆in e ̆ver ̆ıin ı ̆t o ̆in no ̆t u ̆in cu ̆t

∗The CF spondyl/ois used to form words about the condition of a structure. The CF vertebr/ois used to form words that describe a structure.
†Using the combining vowel iinstead of ois an exception to the rule.

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