These latin abbreviations may be worth decoding– you can thank me when you win a game of Jeopardy.
Rx Roman shorthand for Recipe.
When written with a line above it, c can stand for cum, or “with,” another example of shorthand used in prescriptions.
a.c. This is short for ante cenam, “before a meal.” Conversely, p.c. stands for post cenam, or “after a meal.”
a.m. (ante meridiem, “before noon”)
p.m. (post meridiem, “after noon”).
bid This stands for bis in die, or “twice in one day.”
NPO Nil per os, or “nothing through the mouth,” is an instruction that patients be treated or fed intravenously (intravenous, of course, comes from Latin for “inside the vein”).
up ad lib short for up ad libidinem (“at pleasure”), this means that a patient is allowed to get up when he or she wishes.
Anatomical Terms & Latin Sources
dorsal (dorsum; back)
proximal (proximus; nearest)
distal (distare; to stand away from)
lateral (lateralis;to the side)–>can be left or right
medial (medius; middle)
posterior end (post; after)
anterior (ante; before)
ventral (venter; abdomen)
nasal (nasus; nose)
bracchial (bracchium; arm)
ocular (oculus; eye)
pectoral (pectus; chest)
jugular (jugulum; throat)
lacrimal (lacrima; tear)
ovary (ovum; egg)
English terms for teeth can come from Latin roots also. Canine teeth are so named because they resemble those of a dog (canis); while incisors, teeth for cutting, get their name from incisus, or “cut.” Others are simply the Latin name without any modification.
By Keyana Azari
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