Urinary System (SC)
Topic: Urinary System
Text Reference: Chapter 5. Urinary System
Objectives: Students should be able to…
Identify meanings of key word components of the urinary system
Prefixes
a- (absence of, without)
an- (absence of, without)
dia- (through, complete)
dys- (painful, abnormal, difficult, labored)
poly- (many, much)
Combining Forms
albumin/o (albumin)
azot/o (urea, nitrogen)
blast/o (developing cell, germ cell)
cyst/o (bladder, sac)
glomerul/o (glomerulus)
glyc/o (sugar)
glycos/o (sugar)
hydr/o (water)
lith/o (stone, calculus)
meat/o (meatus)
nephr/o (kidney)
noct/i (night)
olig/o (few, scanty)
pyel/o (renal pelvis)
py/o (pus)
ren/o (kidney)
ureter/o (ureter)
urethr/o (urethra)
urin/o (urine, urinary tract)
ur/o (urine, urinary tract)
vesic/o (bladder, sac)
Suffixes
-al (pertaining to)
-ary (pertaining to)
-cele (hernia, protrusion)
-emia (in the blood)
-gram (the recorded radiographic image)
-graph (instrument used to record)
-graphy (process of recording, radiographic imaging)
-iasis (condition)
-esis (condition)
-itis (inflammation)
-lith (stone)
-lysis (loosening, dissolution, separating)
-megaly (enlarged, enlargement)
-oma (tumour, swelling)
-osis (abnormal condition)
-pexy (surgical fixation, suspension)
-ptosis (drooping, sagging, prolapse)
-rrhaphy (suturing, repairing)
-scope (instrument used for visual examination)
-scopic (pertaining to visual examination)
-scopy (visual examination)
-stomy (creation of an artificial opening)
-tomy (cut into, incision)
-tripsy (surgical crushing)
-uria (urine, urination)
Apply the rules of medical language to pronounce, break into word parts, and define the following terms.
Label each word part by using the following abbreviations:
P = Prefix
WR = Word Root
CV = Combining Vowel
S = Suffix
CF = Combining Form
Example: osteoarthropathy (ä-stē-ō-är-THROP-ă-thē) – disease of bone and joint
WR CV WR CV S
oste / o / arthr / o /pathy
CF CF
Use terms related to the urinary system.
Label the following urinary system bladder anatomy.
detrusor muscle | external urethral sphincter | internal urethral sphincter | lamina propria | peritoneum | submucosa | transitional epithelium | ureter | ureteral openings
Chapter Attributions
This chapter was adapted by Jerry Casteel from “Urinary System” in Medical Terminology Student Companion by Stacey Grimm; Colleen Allee; Heidi Belitz; Traci Gotz; Micheal Randolph; Elaine Strachota; and Laurie Zielinski. Licensed under a CC BY 4.0 license.