Unit 12 Roots
| Root Word | Definition |
|---|---|
| abort abort/i |
early termination of a pregnancy |
| abruptio | Latin word for sudden breaking off |
| abstinence | choosing to not have sex |
| actin | cytoskeletal protein |
| albicans | Latin word for whitening |
| albumen albus |
(egg) white |
| amnio amnion amnios |
membrane surrounding the fetus |
| angi | vessel |
| anomaly | something out of the ordinary |
| antron | an anatomical cavity |
| arche | beginning |
| areola | pigmented circle around a nipple |
| balan balan/o |
glans of the penis |
| blast blast/o |
a rapidly dividing cell |
| bulb/o | the bulb (base) of the penis |
| Cæserian | from a Roman emperor (Julius Cæsar) |
| carcin | cancer |
| card/i/o | heart |
| cavernosum | Latin word for cavernous, open space |
| cele | hernia |
| cephal/o | the head |
| cervic cervic/o cervix |
the muscular sphincter between the uterus and vagina |
| Chlamydia | genus of obligate intracellular parasites |
| chorio chorion |
outermost membrane surrounding a fetus; contributes to the formation of the placenta |
| circumcision | removal of the prepuce (foreskin) of the penis with a circular incision |
| clitoris | female genital erectile tissue that plays a major role in sexual arousal |
| coitus | the act of sexual intercourse |
| colp colp/o |
vagina |
| conception | the process of sperm penetrating egg which begins human development |
| condom | a sheath over the penis used for disease prevention and/or contraception |
| corpora | body (plural) |
| corpus | body (singular) |
| cremaster | involuntary muscle causing retraction of the testicles |
| crypt | hidden chamber |
| cyesis | pregnancy |
| cyst | fluid-filled space |
| cyt/e cyt/o |
cell |
| dartos | thin layer of smooth muscle under the male scrotum or female labia majora |
| decidua | the mucous membrane of the uterus; shed during menstruation |
| derm | skin (in this context, refers to one of the layers of the developing embryo) |
| didymis | testicle |
| dyna | force (of uterine contractions); cf. dynamic |
| eclampsia | convulsions of the mother during pregnancy caused by high blood pressure |
| ejacula | expulsion of semen from the male urethra |
| embryo/n | a developing infant from conception to week 10 (of 40) |
| epision | perineum, the area between the vaginal opening and the anus |
| fertil[e] | capable of bearing or creating a child |
| fetus | a developing infant from week 10 to birth (at about 40 weeks) |
| fil[um] | thread-like structure |
| fimbria | structures between the uterine (Fallopian) tubes and ovaries that help an ovum enter the tubes |
| fraternal | related like brothers |
| gastrula | embryonic stage characterized by an inpocketing and folding |
| genitus | the time of birth |
| gest | carrying an infant |
| glans | enlarged, pigmented area at the end of the penis or clitoris |
| gon/ad/o | organs of reproduction (male testis and/or female ovaries) |
| granulosa | type of cell in the uterus |
| gravida | pregnancy |
| gravidarum | pregnant person |
| gynec/o | women |
| hem/at/o hem/o |
blood |
| hermaphrodite | individual showing physical characteristics of both sexes |
| herpes | virus that causes a blistering, painful rash |
| hydr hydr/o |
water |
| hymen | membrane covering the vaginal canal |
| hyster hyster/o |
uterus |
| in vitro | "in glass", that is, performed in a laboratory |
| inhib[it] | to hold back |
| labia labi/o |
lips, in this context, the lips around the vulva |
| lact/o | breast milk |
| lapse | to slip or fall |
| lei/o | smooth (muscle) |
| leuk/o | white or colorless (in this context, refers to a vaginal discharge) |
| ligat[e] | tied together |
| lith/o | stone |
| luteum | Latin word for yellow |
| majora | Latin word for major |
| mamm/o | breast |
| mast/o | breast |
| megal/o | enlargement |
| men/o | menstruation |
| menstru[s] | menstruation |
| metr/i metr/o |
womb |
| minora | Latin word for minor |
| my my/o |
muscle |
| myc | fungus |
| nat nat/o |
birth |
| nephr | kidney |
| nucleus | in this context, the center of a cell, where DNA is stored and RNA is made |
| null | zero; none |
| oo | egg |
| oophor oophor/o |
ovary (oo + phor, "egg carrier") |
| orch orch/i orch/i/o orchid orchid/o |
testicle |
| organ/o | internal organs |
| orifice | opening |
| ovar/i/o | ovary |
| ovum | egg; female gamete |
| oxy | oxygen |
| Papanicolaou | name of a Greek-American physician who is credited with the invention of the Pap smear |
| papilla | nipple |
| para –parous parus |
bearing (as in, "bearing a child") |
| pareun | sexual intercourse (literally, "lying with") |
| partum | Latin, giving birth |
| pause | coming to a stop |
| pelv/i | the hip bone and structures contained in it (pelvis) |
| penis | the male sexual organ |
| perine/o | the area between the genitals and anus |
| phleb | vein |
| placenta | placenta (singular) |
| placentae | placenta (plural) |
| prepuce | foreskin |
| previa | Latin, previous, in front of |
| Priapos | embodiment of male fertility in Greek mythology |
| prostat prostat/o |
prostate gland |
| pubo | pubic |
| py/o | pus |
| recto | rectum |
| relax | the opposite of contraction of a muscle |
| rete | net |
| salping salping/o salpinx |
uterine tubes; Fallopian tubes |
| scrot | scrotum |
| semen semin |
sperm plus glandular secretions |
| sex | the physical characteristics of males or females |
| som som/ato |
body |
| sono | sound |
| speculum | instrument for looking inside the vagina |
| sperm sperm/at/o sperm/i sperm/o |
sperm; male gamete |
| spermatid | developmental stage of a spermatozoon |
| spongiosum | Latin, "like a sponge" |
| sten | abnormal narrowing |
| stet/r | standing; with ob–, standing in front of, as a midwife |
| suckl[e] | draw milk from mother's breast |
| sustentacul[um] | a body part that suspends another |
| syphilis | sexually transmitted disease |
| terat/o | mutations or malformations (especially of a fetus) |
| test testic |
testicle |
| thele | nipple |
| toc toc/o |
labor; active childbirth |
| top/o | place |
| tox | poison |
| Toxoplasma | genus of single-celled parasites |
| Trichomonas | genus of single-celled parasites |
| tropho | nourishment, growth |
| tunica | tunic, coat |
| urethr/o | tube between the bladder and the outside world |
| uter | womb |
| vagin/o | vagina (the passage from the uterus to the vulva) |
| varico | |
| vas deferens | vessel that conducts sperm from the testicle to the urethra |
| vas/o | vessel |
| vesico | urinary bladder |
| vesicul/o | seminal vesicle |
| virus | infectious packet of nucleic acid (DNA or RNA) |
| vulv/o | the outer genitalia of the female |
| zoo | life, living |
| zygote | fertilized egg before the first division (i.e. stage between fertilization and embryo) |
