Which root denotes a tumor?

Which root denotes a tumor?

• A. Oma
• B. Onc
• C. Tumor
• D. Carcin

Answer: (B)

Think about how medical terms are built from small meaningful parts. The part that carries the core idea of a tumor is onc-, the combining form you’ll see in many words about tumors. It appears in oncology (the study of tumors), oncologist (the doctor who treats tumors), and oncogenic (having the potential to cause tumors). That root stays constant across related terms and directly signals a tumor-related concept. Oma is a suffix meaning a tumor or swelling, used at the end of a word (for example, lipoma). It’s not the root itself, so it isn’t the best fit when the question asks for the root. Carcin- is a root associated with cancer, specifically malignant neoplasms, but it’s more about the type or cause of cancer rather than the general idea of a tumor. Tumor is an English noun for a mass and is not a root used to form medical terms. So the root that denotes a tumor in medical terminology is onc-.

Think about how medical terms are built from small meaningful parts. The part that carries the core idea of a tumor is onc-, the combining form you’ll see in many words about tumors. It appears in oncology (the study of tumors), oncologist (the doctor who treats tumors), and oncogenic (having the potential to cause tumors). That root stays constant across related terms and directly signals a tumor-related concept.

Oma is a suffix meaning a tumor or swelling, used at the end of a word (for example, lipoma). It’s not the root itself, so it isn’t the best fit when the question asks for the root.

Carcin- is a root associated with cancer, specifically malignant neoplasms, but it’s more about the type or cause of cancer rather than the general idea of a tumor.

Tumor is an English noun for a mass and is not a root used to form medical terms.

So the root that denotes a tumor in medical terminology is onc-.