The root 'encephal-' refers to which body part?

The root 'encephal-' refers to which body part?

• A. Stomach
• B. Gums
• C. Blood
• D. Brain

Answer: (D)

Encephal- denotes the brain. This root comes from the Greek enkephalos, meaning brain, and it’s used in terms like encephalitis or encephalopathy to refer to conditions of the brain or imaging of the brain. The other roots point to different parts—gastr- is stomach, gingiv- is gums, and hemat- or hem- is blood—so the brain is the body part associated with this root.

Encephal- denotes the brain. This root comes from the Greek enkephalos, meaning brain, and it’s used in terms like encephalitis or encephalopathy to refer to conditions of the brain or imaging of the brain. The other roots point to different parts—gastr- is stomach, gingiv- is gums, and hemat- or hem- is blood—so the brain is the body part associated with this root.