To understand medical terms, one must get to their root—etymology—which brings us back to thousands of years of history and civilization. It may be a laborsome endeavor, but you’d be surprised at the kind of joy ride learning about medical terminology and etymologies bring. While it’s true that such etymologies would be useless trivia for most people, you have to admit that it’s fun to learn about them as they make good ice-breakers or topics for conversation. Just don’t go overboard with it or you may be branded as a nerd.
The field of medicine deals with Greek and Latin-derived terms and codes that seem esoteric for most people. However, learning a little bit about the meaning of the Germanic and Romatic suffixes or prefixes of these terms can give you instant insight on their corresponding meaning and the purpose behind their naming. It can even help you predict what similar words mean.
For example, hepatitis, which derives itself from the Greek word “hepar” originally, relates to the concept of “pleasure”, according to the Journal of Hepatology, the official journal of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. That was because the liver was believed to be the “seat of soul and human feelings” in ancient times.
You wouldn’t know that if you didn’t search for the root word of hepatitis, won’t you? Browse a dictionary and give it a try.
More Etymology Trivia
The concept of fatty liver in animals has long been established in ancient times. Romance languages, which include Latin, has a term called “ficatum” which was associated with the practice of making geese fat by feeding them with figs (“ficus” in Latin). Apparently, this makes their livers tastier. (This calls to mind the practice of force-feeding geese with corn kernels to make their liver taste buttery and delectable for foie gras.) Thus, mankind has long been aware of why fatty liver exists and the ailments associated to it.
The term for liver—the organ which basically purifies the blood of living organisms—is etymologically derived from the Germanic term, “lifere,” which in turn was connected to life. The liver was also used in the context of Elizabethan body politic, where the king was deemed as the “liver” of the country.
The use of the word “medicine,” meanwhile, originated in 1200. It came from the Old French term “medecine” which denotes remedy or cure and from Latin “medicina” which means art of healing or remedy. Its first use in the English language was traced back to 14th century.
Fun Learning with Career Advancement
People working in the healthcare field have so much more to learn when it comes to medical terms. At first these terms may seem esoteric and hard to decipher, but recognizing them and using them in reports often will eventually become second-nature to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment