Which term means 'cut into'?

Which term means 'cut into'?

• A. Otomy
• B. Oxy
• C. Oxygen
• D. Ostomy

Answer: (A)

The idea being tested is how medical suffixes signal procedures. The ending -otomy means making a surgical incision into a body part. It comes from Greek for “to cut.” That’s why terms like craniotomy or tracheotomy describe cutting into the skull or the trachea. The other options don’t convey incision: oxy- relates to sharpness or oxygen, oxygen is a gas/element, and ostomy means creating an opening to the outside (a stoma), not simply an incision into tissue. So the term that means “cut into” is the suffix -otomy.

The idea being tested is how medical suffixes signal procedures. The ending -otomy means making a surgical incision into a body part. It comes from Greek for “to cut.” That’s why terms like craniotomy or tracheotomy describe cutting into the skull or the trachea. The other options don’t convey incision: oxy- relates to sharpness or oxygen, oxygen is a gas/element, and ostomy means creating an opening to the outside (a stoma), not simply an incision into tissue. So the term that means “cut into” is the suffix -otomy.