Advertisement

Dictionary of Medical Terms

Gain a better understanding of medical terminology by searching our dictionary of more than 1,300 terms.

Advertisement

Filter By Alphabet
All terms
  • corns

    A hardened area of skin on the foot caused by persistent friction or pressure.

  • suicide

    Taking one’s own life.

  • bowel

    The tube involved in digestion and extending from the stomach to the anus. Consists of the small intestine and the…

  • chloasma

    Dark coloring of the skin often seen during pregnancy and at menopause. Also occurs in Addison’s disease.

  • comedo

    A dark-topped plug of fatty material in the opening of a hair follicle. The color is the result of exposure…

  • emesis

    Ejecting the contents of the stomach through the mouth.

  • German measles

    A mild childhood disease that causes fever and rash. Although rubella is mild in childhood, it’s dangerous to pregnant women…

  • palsy

    Inability to move parts of the body.

  • pertussis

    A serious infectious respiratory disease of children. Named for the distinctive whooping sound made by the patient after a coughing…

  • verruca

    A small, hard, abnormal growth of the skin or mucous membranes caused by a virus.

  • piles

    An enlarged vein inside or just outside the rectum.

  • thyroid gland

    A large endocrine gland located in the front and sides of the neck and below the Adam’s apple. Essential for…

  • whiplash

    An injury of the neck or spine due to a sudden, severe bending of the neck.

  • wheal

    A pimple or small itchy elevation of the skin caused by an allergen.

  • vesicourethral reflux

    An abnormal condition that allows urine to flow from the bladder back into a ureter.

  • ulna

    The larger of the two bones of the forearm.

  • subdural

    Beneath the dura mater, the covering of the brain.

  • scarlet fever

    Fever and skin reaction caused by certain strains of streptococcus bacteria, usually following a streptococcal infection of the throat, middle…

  • Rh factor

    One of the antigens present on red blood cells. Used in categorizing the type of blood a person has.

  • Raynaud's phenomenon

    A circulation disorder characterized by changes of blood flow, resulting in the hands and feet becoming pale, followed by redness…

  • phenylketonuria (PKU)

    A rare inherited disorder. Causes an inability to metabolize phenylalanine, an amino acid that’s a common part of many proteins…

Advertisement