To successfully communicate in the health care arena, physical therapists must master medical terminology. Most medical terms have either Greek or Latin origins, and the key to mastering these terms is to break them down into components, and to follow certain principles. The modifying terms are the prefix if before the root, and the suffix if it follows the root. The combining form of the root ends in O, E, or nothing.
Some names relate to words in the animal world.
Some names are onomatopoeic, i.e., we derive them from their sound. Examples are hiccup and whooping cough . Sometimes names reflect a resemblance to other objects. Pelvis is Latin for basin or funnel. Sella turcica means turkish saddle.