Dictionary of Medical Terms

A serum protein that’s essential for the clotting process.

A rapid, uncoordinated series of contractions of some part of the heart muscle causing irregular heartbeats. Atrial fibrillation is the…

1. A slender, thread-like structure of organ tissue. 2. In the diet, strands of complex carbohydrates (cellulose) that aren’t…

Abnormally high body temperature.

The unborn baby from the end of the eighth week after fertilization of the egg to birth.

Having to do with the fetus.

The process of joining the male’s sperm and the female’s ovum (egg).

The ability to have children.

The thigh bone.

Having to do with the femur.

Body waste expelled from the rectum. Also called bowel movement or stool.

Physical or mental exhaustion. Weariness.

A major energy source for animals and humans. Fat contains nine calories per gram.

Fibrous sheets of tissue connecting or covering the muscles.

An inherited disorder causing abnormally high levels of cholesterol in the blood.

The tubal passageway connecting the ovary to the uterus.

Temporary loss of consciousness because of an insufficient blood supply to the brain.

A substance that loosens mucus so it’s more easily cleared from the respiratory passages.

Glands that secrete chemicals externally, either through a tube or duct.

To remove by cutting.

Skin rash.