Anatomical and histological terminology
Anatomical vocabulary in this section includes the names of organs, bone structures, tissues, and cavities of the human body.
Among the basic concepts are the body — corpus, ŏris n (and its diminutive form corpuscle — corpuscŭlum, i n), trunk — truncus, i m, as well as tissue — textus, us m. The skeletal system is represented by terms such as pelvis — pelvis, is f (including the hip bone — os coxae), talus — talus, i m, phalanx — phalanx, ngis f, and cartilage — cartilāgo, ĭnis f.
The nervous system and sensory organs are described by terms such as thalamus — thalămus, i m, ear — auris, is f, auricle — auricŭla, ae f, cochlea — cochlea, ae f, and lens — lens, lentis f.
To describe the respiratory and digestive systems, the words used are trachea (windpipe) — trachea, ae f, choanae — choanae, ārum f, small intestine — intestīnum tenue, and jejunum — jejunum, i n.
Topographical formations, orifices, and the ligamentous apparatus include: recess (pouch) — recessus, us m, angle — angŭlus, i m, meatus — meātus, us m, ostium (opening) — ostium, i n, cisterna — cisterna, ae f, retinaculum — retinacŭlum, i n, frenulum — frenŭlum, i n, and agger — agger, ĕris m.
Clinical vocabulary and pathological conditions
In medical practice, terms denoting pathologies, symptoms, and the course of diseases are constantly used.
The dictionary includes conditions such as trauma — trauma, ătis n, incarceration — incarceratio, ōnis f, phlegmon — phlegmōne, es f, cirrhosis — cirrhōsis, is f, typhus — typhus, i m, tremor — tremor, ōris m, and the presence of a thrombus — thrombus, i m. It also mentions a major surgical procedure — transplantation (transplantatio, ōnis f).
To characterize the patient's condition and the features of the process, adjectives are used: imminent — immĭnens, entis, bitten (wound) — morsus, a, um, indurated — indurātus, a, um, chronic — chronĭcus, a, um, and trophic — trophĭcus, a, um.
Pharmacology, chemistry, and botany
The section is rich in names of drugs, chemical compounds, and herbal raw materials necessary for prescription writing.
Dosage forms and general concepts:
- Tablet — tabuletta, ae f
- Form — forma, ae f
- Use, application — usus, us m
- Excipient — constituens, entis
Chemical compounds and elements: Chemical nomenclature includes the names of elements (zinc — zincum, i n), as well as salt anions. Salts ending in "-ate" in Latin end in -as, ātis m: tetraborate (tetraboras), thiosulfate (thiosulfas), phosphate (phosphas), citrate (citras), trihydrate (trihydras). Salts ending in "-ide" have the ending -ĭdum, i n: chloride (chlorĭdum).
Medicinal products: A wide range of medications is presented: antibiotics (tetracycline — tetracyclīnum, i n, phenoxymethylpenicillin — phenoxymethylpenicillīnum, i n), hormonal agents (testosterone — testosterōnum, i n, thyreoidin — thyreoidīnum, i n, folliculin — folliculīnum, i n), sedatives and hypnotics (phenazepam — phenazepāmum, i n, phenobarbital — phenobarbitālum, i n).
Special attention should be paid to fluorine-containing drugs that use the "phth" spelling rule: phthoracizin (phthoracizīnum), phthorocort (phthorocortum), phthorothane (phthorothānum), phthoruracil (phthoruracīlum). Nitrofurans (furagin, furazolidone, furacilin) and chlorine derivatives (chlorophyllipt, chloroform) are also featured.
Botanical vocabulary: Herb — herba, ae f, flower — flos, floris m. Specific plants are mentioned: thermopsis — thermopsis, ĭdis f and yarrow — millefolium, i n.
Adjectives, verbs, and general vocabulary
Various parts of speech are used to construct complete anatomical and prescription phrases.
Adjectives:
- By shape and structure: hard (durus), thick (crassus), thin (tenuis), narrow (angustus), trapezoid (trapezius), triangular (triangularis), fibrous (fibrōsus).
- By location: pelvic (pelvĭcus), parietal (parietalis), tubal (tubarius), dorsal (dorsalis), central (centrālis), cerebral (cerebrālis), circular (circulāris).
- Colors: dark (niger, fuscus), as well as the word color itself — color, ōris m.
- Evaluative and qualitative: such (talis), wholesome (salūber), good (bonus), physiological (physiologĭcus), sedative (sedatīvus).
Verbs: In prescriptions and medical documentation, verbs are frequently encountered: to grind — tero, ĕre III, to filter — filtro, āre I, to establish — constituo, ĕre III, as well as to teach — doceo, ēre II (and its related noun teacher — magister, tri m).
Briefly: answers to topical questions
How are the Latin dictionary forms of nitrofuran derivatives (furagin, furazolidone, furacilin) and chlorine derivatives (chlorophyllipt, chloroform) written?
Latin dictionary forms:
- Furagin — furagīnum, i n
- Furazolidone — furazolidōnum, i n
- Furacilin — furacilīnum, i n
- Chlorophyllipt — chlorophylliptum, i n
- Chloroform — chloroformium, i n
These nouns have the ending -um and belong to the second declension, neuter gender.
To which declension do the Latin nouns textus (tissue), meatus (meatus), and recessus (recess) belong, and how is this determined from their dictionary form?
The Latin nouns textus, meatus, and recessus belong to the fourth declension. The declension of these terms is determined by the genitive singular ending (Genitivus singularis), which is indicated in their dictionary form.
| Noun | Gen. sg. ending | Declension |
|---|---|---|
| Tissue (textus, us m) | -us | IV |
| Meatus (meātus, us m) | -us | IV |
| Recess (recessus, us m) | -us | IV |
How are Latin names of salts with the Russian suffix "-ide" formed, and what exceptions exist (e.g., oxides and peroxides) in chemical nomenclature?
Latin names of binary acid salts with the Russian suffix "-ide" are formed using the suffix -idum. Grammatically, such terms are second declension neuter nouns. Information on the Latin nomenclature of exceptions, such as oxides and peroxides, is not provided in the given materials.
- Chloride (chlorĭdum, i n) — an example of a salt with the suffix "-ide"
How to correctly agree the adjective "chronic" (chronicus, a, um) with the nouns "trauma" (trauma) and "phlegmon" (phlegmone) in the nominative case?
The adjective "chronic" (chronĭcus, a, um) agrees with nouns in the nominative case strictly according to their grammatical gender.
- Chronic trauma (trauma chronĭcum) — since the word trauma, ătis n belongs to the neuter gender, the adjective takes the ending -um.
- Chronic phlegmon (phlegmōne chronĭca) — since the word phlegmōne, es f belongs to the feminine gender, the adjective takes the ending -a.
To correctly spell chemical terms, remember the rule: Russian salts ending in "-ate" (citrate, phosphate) are translated as masculine nouns of the 3rd declension ending in "-as" (citras, ātis m), while salts ending in "-ide" (chloride) are translated as neuter nouns of the 2nd declension ending in "-idum" (chlorĭdum, i n).
Class and exam questions
What gender and declension is the word "pelvis" (pelvis)?
The word pelvis, is f (pelvis) belongs to the feminine gender and is declined according to the 3rd declension of nouns.
How are Latin drug names starting with "fluor-" spelled correctly?
In Latin international nonproprietary names of drugs, the root "fluor-" is traditionally rendered via the spelling "phth", for example: phthorothānum (halothane), phthoruracīlum (fluorouracil).
What is the difference between tenuis and tenue?
These are forms of the same 3rd declension adjective (thin). Tenuis is used for the masculine and feminine genders, while tenue is used for the neuter gender, for example, in the term intestīnum tenue (small intestine).
What else to study on this topic
- Features of the 3rd declension nouns (corpus, cartilago, tremor, phalanx)
- Rules for adjective-noun agreement in anatomical nomenclature
- Chemical nomenclature: names of acid anions and salts
- Verbs in prescription formulations (tero, filtro, constituo) and their imperative mood
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