Medical Words and Phrases

  • Robert B. Taylor
Chapter
First Online:

Abstract

The physician-in-training learns thousands of new words during medical school and residency. And more, such as iPatient, are created each year. In this chapter, the reader will learn about the diverse origins of today’s medical words: mythological gods and goddesses, anatomical terms, geographic locations, other languages such as old Greek and Latin, metaphoric and echoic words, descriptive phrases, and some unlikely sources.

Keywords

Word origins Etymology Mythology Anatomical terms Geographic places Greek and Latin roots Metaphoric Echoic Descriptive Controversy Etymologic curiosities 
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Copyright information

© Springer-Verlag New York 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  • Robert B. Taylor
    • 1
    • 2
  1. 1.Department of Family and Community MedicineEastern Virginia Medical SchoolNorfolkUSA
  2. 2.Department of Family MedicineOregon Health & Science University School of MedicinePortlandUSA

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