General Medical Terms

A field and a bottle share one word, and the branches of the field are themselves called medicine, as in internal or nuclear medicine.

Melanin is the pigment responsible for skin, hair, and eye color that also helps absorb and limit damage from ultraviolet light.

A membrane is a thin sheet of tissue that lines, covers, separates, or encloses a body structure or cavity.

Having to do with the meninges (three thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).

A serious problem that may occur in cancer in which cancer cells spread from the original (primary) tumor to the meninges (thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).

The three thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord.

A type of slow-growing tumor that forms in the meninges (thin layers of tissue that cover and protect the brain and spinal cord).

The menstrual cycle is the recurring hormonal sequence that prepares the uterine lining for pregnancy and sheds it when pregnancy does not occur.

The periodic discharge of blood and tissue from the uterus.

Menstruation is the cyclical shedding of the uterine lining that occurs when pregnancy does not take place, recurring throughout the reproductive years.

A specialist who can talk with patients and their families about emotional and personal matters, and can help them make decisions.

An easy or painless death, or the intentional ending of the life of a person suffering from an incurable or painful disease at his or her request.

Mesenchymal describes embryonic connective tissue and the cells derived from it that can develop into bone, cartilage, fat, and blood related tissue.

The peritoneal membrane that attaches the intestines to the abdominal wall near the back.

A rare type of tumor, usually of the female genital tract, in which the insides of the cells look clear when viewed under a microscope.

One adjective covers energy use, inherited enzyme faults, acid balance and a cluster of risk factors, so context decides its meaning.

In alternative medicine, a theory that people fall into one of three groups (protein, carbohydrate, or mixed type) based on the main type of food that their bodies need to stay healthy.

Metaplasia is a reversible change in which one mature cell type is replaced by another, typically in response to ongoing irritation or stress.

Metasynchronous describes a second finding, such as a related tumor, identified within a short interval of the first rather than at the same time.

Methemoglobin is a chemically altered form of hemoglobin that cannot bind oxygen, and it is normally present in blood only in small amounts.