Health and Medical
English Basic Vocabulary · 50 lessons
What does “Anatomy” mean?
A is correct: Anatomy comes from Greek words meaning "to cut up." It's the science of studying how the body is structured—what organs look like, where they are, and how they fit together.
B is wrong: This reverses the meaning. "Ignorance" means *not knowing* something, but anatomy is about *learning and understanding* body structure, not lacking knowledge about it.
What does “First Aid” mean?
A is correct because First Aid is literally the immediate, basic help you give someone in an emergency—like bandaging a wound or performing CPR—while waiting for professional medical help to arrive.
B is wrong because it describes the opposite of First Aid. First Aid is meant to *help* and *stabilize* someone, not cause harm. That would be negligence or abuse, not First Aid.
What does “Vaccination” mean?
Correct Answer (A): Vaccination means giving someone a vaccine (usually by injection) to help their immune system recognize and fight a disease without getting seriously ill. It builds protection *before* exposure to the real disease.
Why B is wrong: Intentionally exposing someone to a disease is called "infection" or "inoculation" (the old, risky method). Vaccination is the *safe* alternative—it uses weakened or inactive forms of the disease, not the actual dangerous version.
What does “Hydration” mean?
Why A is correct:
Hydration means adding water to something or helping it absorb water. The prefix "hydro-" refers to water, so hydration is the process of water absorption (like when you hydrate your body by drinking water).
Why B is wrong:
This describes *dehydration*, which is the opposite of hydration. Dehydration means losing water or removing water from something.
What does “Nutrition” mean?
A is correct. Nutrition is about *providing* food and nutrients your body needs to function, grow, and stay healthy.
B is wrong because it says "depriving"—the opposite of what nutrition does. Depriving means taking away food, which would harm health, not support it.
What does “Exercise” mean?
A is correct because exercise is intentional physical activity designed to improve fitness, strength, and overall health.
B is wrong because it describes the opposite of exercise—inactivity actually weakens the body and harms health. This is the negative outcome that exercise *prevents*, not what exercise is.
What does “Physiotherapy” mean?
Why A is correct:
Physiotherapy means using physical methods to *heal and improve* conditions. The definition clearly states "treatment of disease, injury, or deformity," which is what physios actually do—help patients recover and function better.
Why B is wrong:
This describes the *opposite* of physiotherapy. It talks about "worsening" conditions with harmful methods, which is the opposite of the care goal. The prefix "physio-" means physical, but the purpose is therapeutic (healing), not harmful.
What does “Immunization” mean?
A is correct. Immunization means building protection against disease, usually through vaccines that train your immune system to recognize and fight specific germs.
B is wrong. While immunization *involves* exposure to a weakened or inactive form of a disease, the goal isn't just exposure—it's to create *protection*. Simply being exposed to a disease without immunity is how you get sick, not how you become protected.
What does “Diagnosis” mean?
A is correct. Diagnosis means to identify what's wrong with someone or something by examining them—like when a doctor tests you and figures out what illness you have.
B is wrong. This adds the word "misidentifying," which means getting it wrong. Diagnosis is about *correctly* identifying a problem, not making a mistake about it.
What does “Prescription” mean?
Why A is correct:
A prescription is a formal medical document where a doctor specifies which medicines or drugs a patient should take, including dosage and instructions. This is the standard definition used in healthcare.
Why B is wrong:
While doctors do advise patients to avoid harmful substances, this isn't called a "prescription." A prescription specifically directs *what to take*, not what to avoid. Documents listing things to avoid would be called warnings, contraindications, or medical advice—but not a prescription.
What does “Rehabilitation” mean?
A is correct: Rehabilitation means restoring someone to a good state of health, function, or productivity. It's about recovery and reintegration—helping people rebuild their lives after illness, injury, or incarceration.
B is wrong: This describes the opposite of rehabilitation. The phrase "pushing someone towards an unhealthy, useless, or inactive life" contradicts what rehabilitation actually does—it would be harmful and destructive, not restorative.
What does “Anatomy” mean?
Why A is correct:
"Anatomy" comes from Greek words meaning "to cut up" and refers to studying how living things are organized—their bones, organs, muscles, and systems. It's about understanding what things are *made of* and how they're arranged.
Why B is wrong:
"Non-structure" isn't a real scientific focus. Anatomy is specifically about *structure*, not the absence of it. (You might be thinking of physiology, which studies how those structures *work*, but that's still different from "non-structure.")
What does “Allergy” mean?
Correct Answer: A
An allergy occurs when your immune system overreacts to a harmless substance (like pollen or peanuts), treating it as a threat and causing symptoms like sneezing, itching, or swelling. This is a *damaging* response because it harms rather than helps you.
Why B is wrong:
A beneficial immune response would protect you from real dangers like infections or diseases—that's a normal, healthy immune system at work. Allergies are the opposite: they cause unnecessary discomfort and can be dangerous.
What does “Doctor” mean?
Correct answer: A
"Doctor" refers to someone with advanced medical education and credentials who is qualified to diagnose and treat patients. This person has completed extensive training and is licensed to practice medicine.
Why B is wrong:
An unqualified person practicing medicine isn't called a "doctor"—that would be illegal and dangerous. The term "doctor" specifically implies someone *has* the proper qualifications and training.
What does “Patient” mean?
Why A is correct:
A patient is someone under medical care or on a healthcare provider's roster. The word means someone actively receiving treatment or officially registered to receive it.
Why B is wrong:
This reverses the definition. Someone NOT receiving medical treatment isn't a patient—they're just a regular person. Being registered or receiving care is what makes someone a patient.
What does “Hospital” mean?
Why A is correct:
A hospital's core purpose is to provide medical and surgical care to patients. This is the standard definition used worldwide.
Why B is wrong:
This contradicts what a hospital actually does. Hospitals are specifically designed to treat patients medically and surgically—that's their entire function. An institution that *doesn't* provide this wouldn't be a hospital.
What does “Medication” mean?
A is correct: Medication is any substance—like a pill, injection, or cream—that doctors prescribe or recommend to treat, prevent, or manage illness and disease.
B is wrong: This contradicts the definition. By definition, medication *must* be used for medical purposes; if it's not used for treatment, it's not medication.
What does “Symptom” mean?
Why A is correct:
A symptom is specifically a sign that something is wrong with your health—it's evidence of disease or illness. Think of a fever, cough, or headache; these alert you that your body has a problem.
Why B is wrong:
This contradicts the definition. If a physical or mental feature is *not* indicating disease, it's just a normal part of being human (like having two eyes or feeling happy), not a symptom. Symptoms must point to a medical condition.
What does “Illness” mean?
Correct Answer: A
"Illness" refers to a state of being sick—when something is wrong with your body or mind. This is the standard definition used in everyday language and medicine.
Why B is wrong:
Option B describes the *opposite* of illness. It talks about health and wellness, which are what you have when you're *not* ill. "Illness" and "wellness" are antonyms (opposites).
What does “Pathology” mean?
• A is correct. "Patho-" means disease and "-logy" means the study of. Pathology is specifically about understanding what causes diseases and how they affect the body.
• B is wrong. That would be describing health science or wellness studies, not pathology. Pathology focuses on disease, not health. The opposite of pathology would be something like "salutology" (study of health).
What does “Therapy” mean?
Why A is correct:
Therapy comes from the Greek word meaning "healing" or "treatment." Its purpose is to help people feel better by treating physical or mental health problems.
Why B is wrong:
This describes the opposite of therapy. Making a disorder worse would be harmful, not helpful. Therapy is always meant to improve health, not damage it.
What does “Pediatrics” mean?
A is correct: "Pediatrics" comes from Greek roots meaning "child" (paed-) and "healer" (-iatrics), so it literally means medicine for children.
B is wrong: Medicine for elderly people is called "geriatrics," which uses a different Greek root (ger-) meaning "old age."
What does “Endocrinology” mean?
Correct Answer (A):
"Endocrinology" comes from "endo-" (within) and "-crinology" (study of secretion). It's the study of glands that secrete hormones internally into the bloodstream—like the thyroid, pancreas, and pituitary gland.
Why B is wrong:
The skeletal system is bones and cartilage, not hormone-secreting glands. The study of bones is called "osteology," not endocrinology.
What does “Detoxify” mean?
Correct Answer: A. Remove toxic substances or qualities from.
"Detoxify" breaks down into "de-" (meaning remove) + "toxify" (meaning make toxic). So it means to clean something by getting rid of harmful or poisonous substances. For example, your liver detoxifies your body by filtering out poisons.
Why B is wrong:
Option B describes the opposite action—that would be "toxify" (to make toxic), not "detoxify." The prefix "de-" always means to remove or reverse something.
What does “Homeostasis” mean?
A is correct: Homeostasis means your body actively works to keep conditions stable—like maintaining body temperature around 98.6°F or keeping blood pH steady. It's your body's built-in balancing act.
B is wrong: This is the opposite of what homeostasis actually is. Your body fights *against* imbalance and chaos, not toward it. If your body sought imbalance, you couldn't survive.
What does “Oncology” mean?
Correct Answer: A
Oncology comes from the Greek word "onco-" meaning tumor, plus "-logy" meaning study of. So oncology is specifically about understanding and treating cancers and tumors.
Why B is wrong:
The study and treatment of fractures is called orthopedics or traumatology. That's a completely different medical field dealing with bones and joints, not tumors.
What does “Radiology” mean?
Why A is correct:
"Radiology" comes from "radiation" and refers to the medical science that uses X-rays, CT scans, and other forms of high-energy radiation to create images of the body for diagnosis and treatment.
Why B is wrong:
Natural and visible light are not high-energy radiation—they're lower-energy forms of electromagnetic radiation. The science dealing with visible light is called "optics," not radiology.
What does “Treatment” mean?
Correct Answer: A
Treatment means providing medical care to help someone get better. The word "care" is key—doctors and nurses work to heal or improve a patient's condition.
Why B is wrong:
"Harm" is the opposite of what treatment does. Treatment aims to help, not hurt. Using "harm" completely reverses the meaning of the word.
What does “Geriatrics” mean?
Correct Answer: A
"Geriatrics" comes from the Greek word "geras" (old age) and focuses on medical care for elderly patients and age-related conditions like arthritis, dementia, and heart disease.
Why B is wrong:
That describes *pediatrics*, which deals with children. The prefix "pedi-" means child, not "geri-."
What does “Hypertension” mean?
Correct answer: A. Abnormally high blood pressure.
"Hyper-" is a prefix meaning "over" or "excessive," so hypertension literally means excessive tension (pressure) in the blood vessels. This condition increases risk of heart disease and stroke.
Why B is wrong:
Low blood pressure is called "hypotension"—the prefix "hypo-" means "under" or "low." This is the opposite condition.
What does “Obesity” mean?
A is correct: Obesity specifically refers to having excessive body fat that poses health risks—being significantly overweight beyond a healthy range.
B is wrong: Being extremely thin or underweight is the opposite condition, sometimes called being underweight or suffering from malnutrition. That's not obesity at all.
What does “Gastroenterology” mean?
Correct Answer: A
"Gastro-" means stomach and "-enterology" refers to the intestines, so gastroenterology literally means the study and treatment of stomach and intestinal disorders.
Why B is wrong: That describes cardiology (cardio = heart), not gastroenterology. A gastroenterologist treats digestive issues like ulcers and IBS, not heart problems.
What does “Cardiology” mean?
A is correct. "Cardio-" means heart and "-logy" means the study of, so cardiology is the medical specialty focused on the heart and heart diseases.
B is wrong. That describes dermatology (from "derma-" meaning skin), which is a different medical specialty entirely.
What does “Epidemiology” mean?
Correct Answer (A):
Epidemiology comes from "epi" (upon/among) and "demos" (people)—it literally means studying disease patterns in populations. It focuses on how often diseases occur, where they spread, and how to prevent/control them.
Why B is wrong:
That describes orthopedics, which deals with bones and skeletal deformities. It's a completely different medical field with no connection to disease spread in populations.
What does “Psychiatry” mean?
Why A is correct:
"Psychiatry" comes from Greek roots meaning "mind" and "healing"—it's the medical specialty that treats mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia through therapy, medication, and other interventions.
Why B is wrong:
That describes *hematology*, the study of blood disorders. The word "psychiatry" has nothing to do with blood; it's about the mind and behavior, not the circulatory system.
What does “Dermatology” mean?
Correct answer: A
- The word "derma" means skin, so dermatology is literally the study and treatment of skin and related structures like nails and hair.
- This is the accurate definition—dermatologists are doctors who treat acne, eczema, psoriasis, and other skin conditions.
Why B is wrong:
- That definition describes ophthalmology (from "ophthalmo-" meaning eye), not dermatology.
- Ophthalmologists specialize in eyes and vision, not skin.
What does “Ophthalmology” mean?
Correct Answer (A): "Ophthalmology" comes from Greek: "ophthalmo-" means eye, and "-logy" means study of. So it literally means the study and treatment of eye diseases and disorders.
Why B is wrong: That definition describes neurology, not ophthalmology. Neurology focuses on the nervous system (brain, spinal cord, nerves), while ophthalmology is specifically about eyes.
What does “Orthopedics” mean?
Correct Answer (A): "Ortho-" means straight/correct and "-pedics" relates to children/feet/structure. Orthopedics treats bone and muscle problems—straightening deformities, fixing fractures, and improving skeletal function.
Why B is wrong: That describes urology, which focuses on the urinary and reproductive systems. It has nothing to do with bones or muscles.
What does “Hematology” mean?
Why A is correct:
"Hemato-" means blood and "-logy" means the study of, so hematology literally means "the study of blood." It covers blood itself, organs that make blood (like bone marrow), and diseases affecting them.
Why B is wrong:
That describes gastroenterology, which deals with the digestive system. Digestive disorders have nothing to do with hematology or blood.
What does “Neurology” mean?
A is correct: "Neuro-" means nerve/brain, and "-ology" means study of. Neurology specifically focuses on the nervous system—the brain, spinal cord, and nerves—and how to treat their disorders.
B is wrong: That describes dermatology ("derm-" = skin). It's a different medical specialty entirely.
What does “Urology” mean?
A is correct: "Urology" comes from "uro-" (urine/urinary system) + "-logy" (study of). It covers the urinary tract in both sexes and male reproductive organs—exactly what option A describes.
B is wrong: That describes neurology (neuro- = nerves/brain), not urology. It's a different medical specialty entirely.
What does “Anesthesia” mean?
A is correct: Anesthesia literally means "without sensation." It's a medical technique that temporarily blocks pain and awareness so doctors can perform surgery safely without the patient feeling pain.
B is wrong: This describes the opposite effect. Anesthesia reduces sensation, not heightens it. A heightened state would make surgery impossible since the patient would feel everything.
What does “Biopsy” mean?
Why A is correct:
"Bio" means life and "opsy" means to view or examine. A biopsy is when doctors remove a small sample of tissue from your body and examine it under a microscope to check for disease, cancer, or other problems.
Why B is wrong:
That describes the opposite procedure—inserting tissue rather than removing it. That would be more like a transplant or graft, not a biopsy.
What does “Enzyme” mean?
Why A is correct:
An enzyme is a protein made by living cells that speeds up chemical reactions without being used up itself—that's what a catalyst does. Enzymes are essential to life because they enable reactions (like digestion and energy production) to happen fast enough to sustain organisms.
Why B is wrong:
This describes an *inhibitor*, not an enzyme. While inhibitors do slow down or block reactions, enzymes do the opposite—they *accelerate* reactions. This is a fundamental difference in their function.
What does “Fracture” mean?
A is correct: "Fracture" means something breaks or cracks—like a fractured bone or a fractured rock. It's the damage itself, not the repair.
B is wrong: That describes mending or healing, which is the *opposite* of fracturing. Words like "repair" or "heal" mean fixing something, not breaking it.
What does “Glucose” mean?
Why A is correct:
Glucose is literally a simple sugar (a monosaccharide) that cells break down for energy. It's a building block of larger carbohydrates like starch and cellulose, making this definition accurate on all counts.
Why B is wrong:
This gets it backwards—glucose *enables* energy production, not inhibits it. Cells use glucose in respiration to create ATP, which powers living processes. B describes the opposite of what glucose actually does.
What does “Hormone” mean?
Why A is correct:
This definition captures what hormones actually do—they're chemical messengers made by the body that travel through blood or sap and trigger specific responses in target cells. This is the scientific definition used across biology.
Why B is wrong:
While some hormones can have inhibitory effects (like slowing things down), the core definition of a hormone is about *stimulation* and regulation, not just inhibition. Describing hormones primarily as inhibitors misses their main function and scope.
What does “Influenza” mean?
Why A is correct:
Influenza (the flu) is caused by a virus, not bacteria. It spreads through the respiratory system (nose, throat, lungs) and causes symptoms like fever, cough, and body aches.
Why B is wrong:
Influenza is not a bacteria—it's a virus, so it doesn't help your body. Bacteria and viruses are different types of germs; some bacteria are helpful, but the flu virus is harmful and causes illness.
What does “Jaundice” mean?
Why A is correct:
Jaundice is caused by excess bilirubin (a yellow pigment) in the blood, which deposits in the skin and eyes, turning them yellow. This is the actual medical definition.
Why B is wrong:
Bluing of the skin is called cyanosis, not jaundice. Cyanosis happens when there's not enough oxygen in the blood, which is a completely different condition with a different cause.
What does “Ketone” mean?
Why A is correct:
A ketone is defined by having a carbonyl group (C=O) bonded to two carbon atoms. This is the key structural feature that makes it a ketone.
Why B is wrong:
This describes the opposite of a ketone. Ketones specifically *must* have a carbonyl group—that's what defines them. Compounds without carbonyl groups are different functional groups entirely (like alkanes or ethers).
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