Health language should feel less intimidating.

Our purpose

A practical, readable reference

This glossary pairs concise summaries with fuller definitions, examples, word origins, and related concepts, and every entry can be read aloud with the Listen button. Topic pages and A–Z navigation make the collection useful whether you know the exact term or are simply exploring.

The site is built to support thousands of entries while staying fast, accessible, and comfortable to read on any device.

Editorial approach

Clarity with appropriate context

Definitions should use plain language without stripping away important distinctions. Abbreviations and everyday synonyms are included to improve discovery. Clinical notes highlight common points of confusion, appropriate context, and situations where urgency matters.

Where the entries come from. The collection began as an import from a research dictionary written for cancer specialists. That source was accurate within its field but narrow outside it, and in places simply wrong: it described a barbiturate as an antipsychotic, called fungi plant-like organisms, and had an angioplasty balloon inflated with air rather than liquid.

Revision is ongoing. Entries are being rewritten in batches to give each term a plain-language definition, a fuller explanation, and its word origin where a genuine one exists. 1,424 of the 5,246 entries have been rewritten to that standard so far, about 27 percent. The rest still carry the shorter inherited definition and are queued for the same treatment. Every error found during a rewrite is corrected rather than carried forward.

Who writes this. Medical Terminology DB is written and maintained by James Murray, who builds and runs the site. He is not a clinician and does not hold a medical qualification. What he brings is the work of reading terminology carefully, checking it against published reference sources, and rewriting it so a non-specialist can follow it. Where a definition is uncertain or contested, the entry says so rather than picking a side.

What this is not. The entries are written and revised in-house. They are not reviewed by an external board of medical editors, and this site does not claim clinical authority. That is the honest position, and it is why the limitations below matter.

Important limitations

An educational resource, not medical advice

Glossary definitions cannot account for an individual's history, examination, test results, medications, or circumstances. Do not use this website to diagnose, rule out, or treat a condition. Ask a qualified healthcare professional how a term applies to your situation.

Help improve the glossary

Spot something that needs attention?

Readers and clinicians are welcome to suggest a correction, clarification, or new entry. Include the term, the page address, and a short explanation.