Essential Medical English Vocabulary and Health Terms Glossary

Medical Vocabulary Glossary: From A to Z

Letter A

• Acne (noun) – A disorder of certain glands on the skin, characterized by pimples on the face, neck, and upper back.
• Antibiotics (n.) – A chemical substance, as penicillin, that can inhibit or destroy the growth of bacteria and other microorganisms.
• Asthma (n.) – A breathing disorder often caused by an allergic reaction and characterized by spasms in the lungs, wheezing, and difficulty in breathing out.

Letter B

• Band aid (n.) – An adhesive bandage with a gauze pad in the centre; similar to plaster.
• Bandage (n.) – A strip of material, as cloth, used to cover a wound or sprain.
• Be constipated (adj.) – Unable to defecate.
• Blister (n.) – A thin swelling on the skin containing watery matter caused from a burn or friction.
• Blood (n.) – The red fluid that flows through the heart throughout the body.
• Blood test – A test of a sample of blood to determine blood group, presence of infection or other pathological condition, parentage, etc.
• Blow one’s nose (expression) – To breathe forcefully through the nose to expel mucus into a tissue.
• Broken (adj.) – Fractured.
• Bruise (n.) – An injury appearing as an area of discoloured skin on the body.

Letter C

• Catch a cold (expression) – To become afflicted with a cold.
• Check-up (n.) – Also checkup. A routine medical exam.
• Chickenpox (n.) – A disease, commonly of children, marked by fever and the eruption of red spots or blisters on the skin.

Letters H to I

• Heart disease – Refers to any condition affecting the heart.
• Hepatitis – Inflammation of the liver.
• Illness – It is similar to disease or sickness.
• Injury – Harm to body. Similar to wound.

Letters L to N

• Lose one’s voice – To be unable to speak.
• Make an appointment – To set an official date and time at which to meet someone.
• Measles – An infectious disease characterized by small red spots on the skin, fever, and coldlike symptoms.
• Midwife – One who assists women during childbirth.
• Mumps (n.) – An infectious disease in which certain glands in the throat, neck and mouth swell.
• Nurse (n.) – A person trained in the care of the sick.

Letters O to R

• Operating theatre – A room in which surgical operations are performed.
• Painful (adj.) – A part of the body affected with pain.
• Painkiller (n.) – A drug or a medicine for relieving pain.
• Painless (adj.) – Not involving pain.
• Pass out (phrasal verb) – Similar to faint. To lose consciousness.
• Pill (noun) – A small tablet or capsule of medicine.
• Plaster (noun) – 1. An adhesive strip of material for covering cuts and wounds, similar to band aid. 2. A solid preparation spread upon a cloth, then applied to the body for example to cure a broken bone.
• Prescription (noun) – An instruction written by a medical practitioner that authorizes a patient to be supplied with a medicine or treatment.
• Rash (noun) – An area of spots or redness on the skin resulting from an irritation or disorder.

Letters S to U

• Sick leave (n.) – Time off work for illness.
• Smallpox – A serious disease easily spread to others, caused by a virus, with fever and red spots that often leave permanent pits or scars.
• Sneeze (verb) – Make a sudden involuntary expulsion of air from the nose and mouth due to irritation of one’s nostrils.
• Sprain (n.) – The resulting injury to such a joint, characterized by swelling and temporary disability.
• Stitches – A loop of thread used to join edges of a wound or surgical incision.
• Suffer from (verb) – Be affected by an illness.
• Surgeon – A medical practitioner who specializes in surgery.
• Swell (verb) – (especially of a part of the body) Become larger or rounder in size, typically as a result of a broken bone, sprained joint or a sting.
• Swollen (adj.) – Made large by swelling.
• Symptoms (noun) – A sign or indication of a disease.
• Throw up (verb) – To vomit.
• Twist (verb) – To turn sharply or be wrenched out of place.
• Ulcer (noun) – A sore, as on the skin, mouth, or stomach lining, bringing with it the disintegration of tissue, and often the formation of pus.
• Unwell (adj.) – Sick, ill (not well).
• Urine sample – A sample collected for medical testing.

Letters V to W

• Vaccine (n.) – A substance (that must be injected) used to stimulate the production of antibodies and provide immunity against one or several diseases.
• Vomit (verb) – Throw up.
• Ward – A division, floor or room of a hospital for a particular class or group of patients.
• Wart – A small, often hard growth on the skin, usually caused by a virus.
• Wheelchair – A chair mounted on wheels for use by persons who cannot walk because they are temporarily or permanently disabled.
• Wound – Harm to body. Similar to injury.