Medical Terminology - Meanings of Common Medical Terms

Vocabulary of Medical Significance - Medical dictionary and abbreviations. Use this medical dictionary to find the meaning of a medical term. This Glossary of medical terms can be used to look up the meaning of a medical term.

Abscess – A painful swelling in which pus is present on any part of the body.

Acidity – Presence of excessive acid in the stomach.

Allergy – Hypersensitivity to a particular substance.

Antibiotics – Drugs which completely destroy bacteria.

Anti-body – Substances in blood which neutralize and counteract the activities and the poisons produced by bacteria and viruses responsible for various diseases.

Anti-dotes – Substances which neutralize the effect of poison.

Balanced diet – Diet with the quantity and variety of food needed for good health. Balanced diet contains all the following substances in proper proportion- Fats, Carbohydrates, Proteins and Vitamins.

B.C.G. – Bacillus Calmette Guerin, a drug which is a mild strain of tubercle bacilli; is now being used to strengthen resistance to the infection of the T.B. bacillus.

Blood Sugar – Blood sugar is the amount of glucose in the circulating blood.

Caesarean operation – Operation named after Julius Caesar who was born this way. The abdomen of the mother is opened to take out the child since delivery in the natural way is impossible. The operation is no longer considered to be serious.

Chemotherapy – Control of infection by chemicals.

Dermatology – Branch of medicine dealing with skin diseases.

Germicide – A germ killing substance.

Hemorrhage – Escape of blood due to the rupture of blood vessels inside he body.

Immunity – A state of the body to resist the development of disease.

Narcotic – Drug that dulls the nervous system.

Ophthalmia – Inflammation of the eyes.

Pasteurization ­ – Method of treating foods, specially milk to make these free from disease causing bacteria. Milk is heated to 60° - 70° centigrade for 30 minutes and then rapidly cooled and sealed. This is called pasteurization of milk.

Puberty – Age of sexual maturation.

Septic – Blood Poisoning.

Ulcer – Branch in the continuity of a surface.

Vaccination – Inoculation with vaccine to prevent diseases.

Systems of the Human Body:

  • The digestive system
  • The circulatory system
  • The respiratory system
  • The excretory system
  • The nervous system
  • The skeleton
  • The muscular system
  • The reproductive system