What does the combining form nephr/o mean?

Dive into medical terminology with The Pitt Medical Terminology Test. Enhance your learning using flashcards and multiple choice questions. Prepare for your exam confidently with detailed hints and explanations.

Multiple Choice

What does the combining form nephr/o mean?

Explanation:
Nephr/o denotes the kidney. In medical word formation, a combining form links a root to endings to build terms, and nephr/o carries the specific meaning of kidney. That’s why you see it in words like nephrology (the study of kidney function and disease), nephritis (inflammation of the kidney), and nephron (the kidney’s functional unit). Other organs have their own combining forms—cardi/o for the heart, gastr/o for the stomach, and hepat/o for the liver—so nephr/o is the appropriate root here because it directly references the kidney.

Nephr/o denotes the kidney. In medical word formation, a combining form links a root to endings to build terms, and nephr/o carries the specific meaning of kidney. That’s why you see it in words like nephrology (the study of kidney function and disease), nephritis (inflammation of the kidney), and nephron (the kidney’s functional unit). Other organs have their own combining forms—cardi/o for the heart, gastr/o for the stomach, and hepat/o for the liver—so nephr/o is the appropriate root here because it directly references the kidney.

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