
Every industry has it’s own set of words, unique to its area of expertise, so here is a list of just a few of the more common medical terms used in NZ.
Health is one of the few areas that everyone is connected to – and happens to be filled with some of the longest and most confusing words of all. Many you may already be familiar with, so test yourself, and see how you go!
Common medical terms
- Acute: A condition that begins abruptly and is sometimes severe, but the duration is short
- Benign: not cancerous
- Biopsy: a small sample of tissue that is taken for testing
- Chronic: a recurring, persistent, or long lasting condition eg asthma, diabetes
- Contusion: bruise
- Hypertension: high blood pressure
- Intravenous: medication or fluid that is delivered by your vein
- Malignant: the presence of cancerous cells
- Outpatient: A patient who receives care without being admitted to a hospital
- Stat: Immediately
Common medical abbreviations
- BMI: Body mass index, a measure of body fat based on your height and weight
- BP: Blood pressure
- CPR: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation, also called mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
- ED/ER: Emergency department or emergency room
- HR: Heart rate, expressed as beats per minute
- HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or ‘good’ cholesterol
- LDL-C: Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, or ‘bad’ cholesterol
Common medical root words
- Cardi/o: Related to the heart
- Derm/a/o, dermat/o: Related to the skin
- Encephal/o: Related to the brain
- My/o: Related to muscle
- Gastr/o: Related to the stomach
- Hemat/o: Related to blood
- Oste/o: Related to bone
- Pulmon/o: Related to the lungs
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References
- https://healthify.nz/hauora-wellbeing/m/medical-words-explained
- https://www.healthnavigator.org.nz/videos/u/understanding-medical-words/
Written by Paul Taylor
Paul Taylor is a New Zealand–based healthcare content writer with 5+ years’ experience creating patient friendly articles for online pharmacies and health platforms. He specialises in accessible condition guides, prescription FAQs, OTC advice, and health & wellbeing tips, translating complex medicines or health condition information into clear, actionable content. Paul collaborates with the ZOOM Pharmacy clinical team and bases every article on authoritative sources, peer reviewed journals and national clinical guidelines to ensure evidence based, up to date content. His goal is to help readers feel empowered to make informed decisions about their medicines and wellbeing. This content is general information only and does not replace professional medical advice.