Terminology Lesson 3, Page 6 of 20

The word doctor means "teacher." Most doctors today, however, are far too busy to spend enough time with their patients to teach them anything. That's just one of the reasons you need this course.

It's a Small World

Because large and unfamiliar words often intimidate us, we sometimes dismiss a new word without even trying to figure out its meaning. If we will pause a moment and break the unfamiliar word into its component parts, we will often find that we know more than we thought.

You certainly know what a telephone is. The Greek combining form tele- means "distant" or "far off." The combining form phon means "voice." Therefore a telephone is a device that transmits a voice to a distant place. A telescope is likewise a device that deals with distance. However, the combining form scope ("to watch," or "to look at") replaces the phon- of telephone. Therefore a telescope is a device that allows us to look at things at a distance.

You also probably know what a microscope is. It's a device that allows us to look at small [micro-] objects.

What is a microorganism?

A very small pipe organ
The brain of an insect
A creature that is too small to see with the naked eye

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