Which suffix is used to indicate a disease or disorder?

Which suffix is used to indicate a disease or disorder?

• A. -pathy
• B. -cyte
• C. -pnea
• D. -ism

Answer: (B)

In medical terminology, the suffix that signals a disease or disorder is -pathy. This comes from a root meaning suffering or disease, so words ending with -pathy describe a specific disease or functional problem of a body part, such as neuropathy (nerve disease) or cardiopathy (heart disease). Other suffixes have different meanings. -cyte designates a cell type (for example, erythrocyte is a red blood cell), so it tells you about the kind of cell rather than a disease state. -pnea relates to breathing (like dyspnea, which is difficulty breathing). -ism indicates a condition, doctrine, or practice, not specifically a disease. So these do not convey the idea of a disease or disorder the way -pathy does.

In medical terminology, the suffix that signals a disease or disorder is -pathy. This comes from a root meaning suffering or disease, so words ending with -pathy describe a specific disease or functional problem of a body part, such as neuropathy (nerve disease) or cardiopathy (heart disease).

Other suffixes have different meanings. -cyte designates a cell type (for example, erythrocyte is a red blood cell), so it tells you about the kind of cell rather than a disease state. -pnea relates to breathing (like dyspnea, which is difficulty breathing). -ism indicates a condition, doctrine, or practice, not specifically a disease. So these do not convey the idea of a disease or disorder the way -pathy does.