Health-care vocabulary · Topic 3 of 14

Body, Position & Direction Words

Body, Position & Direction Words — Set 1

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Vocabulary · body, position & direction

Body, Position & Direction Words — Set 1

Where something is on the body or how the patient lies: bilateral, distal, proximal, lateral and sublingual come up most.

01 · Most testedBilateral = on both sides

02 · Most testedDistal = farther from the trunk

03 · Most testedSublingual = under the tongue

Most-tested words

bilateral (adjective) — on or affecting both sides

distal (adjective) — farther from the trunk or attachment

proximal (adjective) — closer to the trunk or attachment

lateral (adjective) — toward the side, away from the midline

sublingual (adjective) — under the tongue

More words

posterior (adjective) — toward the back

anterior (adjective) — toward the front

superficial (adjective) — at or near the surface, not deep

supine (adjective) — lying on the back, face up

prone (adjective) — lying on the stomach, face down

recumbent (adjective) — lying down, resting

symmetric (adjective) — matching on both sides

unilateral (adjective) — on or affecting one side only

medial (adjective) — toward the midline

superior (adjective) — above, toward the head

inferior (adjective) — below, toward the feet

concave (adjective) — curving inward, like a bowl

convex (adjective) — curving outward, like a ball

subcutaneous (adjective) — beneath the skin

transdermal (adjective) — through the skin

cavity (noun) — a hollow space

dorsal (adjective) — on the back or top surface

caudal (adjective) — toward the tail end, lower spine

Proximal vs distal

Commonly confused

	Proximal	Distal
Means	Closer to the body's center	Farther from the body's center
Opposite of	Distal	Proximal
Arm example	Elbow is proximal to the wrist	Fingers are distal to the elbow

In a sentence

Show 23 example sentences

bilateral: The patient had bilateral knee pain, in the left knee and the right.

distal: The nurse checked the distal pulse at the patient's ankle.

proximal: The fracture was at the proximal end of the upper arm bone, just below the shoulder.

lateral: The bruise was on the lateral side of the patient's left thigh.

posterior: The doctor listened to the posterior chest, between the shoulder blades.

anterior: The cut was on the anterior surface of the patient's forearm.

superficial: The scrape was superficial and healed within a few days.

supine: The patient lay supine on the exam table for the scan.

prone: The patient was placed prone so the nurse could check the back.

recumbent: The patient stayed recumbent for an hour after the procedure.

symmetric: The patient's smile was symmetric, with both sides moving evenly.

unilateral: The patient had unilateral swelling in the left leg only.

medial: The bruise was on the medial side of the knee, facing the other knee.

superior: The cut was just superior to the patient's left eyebrow.

inferior: The rash began inferior to the knee and spread down the shin.

concave: The lens was concave, thinner in the middle than at the edges.

convex: The back of a spoon has a convex shape.

sublingual: The nurse told the patient to let the sublingual tablet dissolve under the tongue.

subcutaneous: Insulin is usually given as a subcutaneous injection.

transdermal: The patient wore a transdermal patch on the upper arm.

cavity: The heart and lungs sit inside the chest cavity.

dorsal: The nurse felt for a pulse on the dorsal surface of the foot.

caudal: The injury was caudal to the patient's waist, near the tailbone.

Pearl

Proximal is close to the trunk; distal is distant from it.

Body, Position & Direction Words — Set 2

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Vocabulary · body, position & direction

Body, Position & Direction Words — Set 2

Body-system and size words: otic, exogenous, endogenous and discrete are the ones most often tested.

01 · Most testedDiscrete = separate, distinct

02 · Most testedExogenous = from outside the body

03 · Most testedOtic = relating to the ear

Most-tested words

otic (adjective) — relating to the ear

exogenous (adjective) — coming from outside the body

endogenous (adjective) — made or arising inside the body

discrete (adjective) — separate and distinct

More words

oral (adjective) — of the mouth, or taken by mouth

internal (adjective) — inside

external (adjective) — outside

inverted (adjective) — turned upside down or reversed

contour (noun) — the outline or shape of something

diameter (noun) — width straight across through the center

depth (noun) — how deep something is

cardiac (adjective) — relating to the heart

renal (adjective) — relating to the kidneys

vascular (adjective) — relating to blood vessels

gastrointestinal (adjective) — relating to the stomach and intestines

hematologic (adjective) — relating to the blood

musculoskeletal (adjective) — relating to muscles and bones

neurologic (adjective) — relating to the nervous system

neurovascular (adjective) — relating to nerves and blood vessels

peripheral (adjective) — at the outer edge, away from the center

extremity (noun) — an arm or a leg; the farthest point

circumference (noun) — the distance around something round

Exogenous vs endogenous

Commonly confused

	Exogenous	Endogenous
Comes from	Outside the body	Inside the body
Word clue	exo- = outside	endo- = inside
Opposite of	Endogenous	Exogenous

In a sentence

Show 22 example sentences

oral: The patient swallowed the oral medicine with a glass of water.

otic: The nurse warmed the otic drops before placing them in the patient's ear.

internal: The patient had internal bleeding that could not be seen from outside.

external: The cream is for external use only and must never be swallowed.

exogenous: The patient's insulin was exogenous, given by injection rather than made by the pancreas.

endogenous: Endorphins are endogenous chemicals that help ease pain.

inverted: The image on the screen was inverted, so the technician flipped it.

contour: The nurse noted a change in the contour of the patient's abdomen.

diameter: The nurse measured the diameter of the round wound in centimeters.

depth: The nurse recorded the depth of the wound as 2 centimeters.

discrete: The rash was made of discrete red spots that did not run together.

cardiac: The patient moved to the cardiac unit for heart monitoring.

renal: Blood tests were ordered to check the patient's renal function.

vascular: Years of smoking had damaged the patient's vascular system.

gastrointestinal: The patient had gastrointestinal upset, with cramps and diarrhea.

hematologic: A hematologic test checked the patient's blood cell counts.

musculoskeletal: Back strain is a common musculoskeletal injury among health-care workers.

neurologic: The nurse did a neurologic check of the patient's pupils and grip.

neurovascular: After the cast went on, the nurse did neurovascular checks on the patient's toes.

peripheral: The nurse checked the patient's peripheral pulses at the wrists and feet.

extremity: The patient's lower extremities were cool to the touch.

circumference: The nurse measured the newborn's head circumference.

Pearl

Exogenous comes from outside the body; endogenous is made inside it.

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