Understanding medical words of Greek and Latin origin

Journal article

Medical students may find medical terminology daunting, because they do not understand its origins, which in many cases are rooted in Greek and Latin. We propose a simple way of classifying these terms, which we hope may prove enlightening and potentially useful. Aside from this, we hope that readers will find some of the etymologies (word origins) discussed to be diverting in and of themselves. Throughout, readers are invited to consult references for the sources of etymologies, as well as Latin and Greek dictionaries. The interested reader is invited to consult an introductory text on medical etymology.

Authors: Bechar, J; Findlay, J; Hardwicke, J

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: BMJ Publishing Group
• Journal: Student BMJ
• Publication date: 2013-12-20
• Acceptance date: 2013-12-11
• DOI: 10.1136/sbmj.f7394
• EISSN: 1752-069X
• ISSN: 0966-6494
• Keywords: SBTMR