Which root is correctly matched to the uterus?

Which root is correctly matched to the uterus?

• A. lapar
• B. iris
• C. hyster
• D. lingu

Answer: (C)

Medical terminology uses combining forms that point to the organ involved. For the uterus, the standard combining form is hyster- (from Greek hystera). It appears in terms like hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and hysteroscopy (examination of the uterus). The other roots refer to different areas: lapar- comes from the word for the abdominal cavity and is used in terms like laparotomy; iris relates to the eye’s iris, and lingu- relates to the tongue. So the root that correctly matches the uterus is hyster-.

Medical terminology uses combining forms that point to the organ involved. For the uterus, the standard combining form is hyster- (from Greek hystera). It appears in terms like hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) and hysteroscopy (examination of the uterus). The other roots refer to different areas: lapar- comes from the word for the abdominal cavity and is used in terms like laparotomy; iris relates to the eye’s iris, and lingu- relates to the tongue. So the root that correctly matches the uterus is hyster-.