Which root means infection?

Which root means infection?

• A. SEPS
• B. TOM
• C. STEN
• D. THERM

Answer: (A)

In medical terminology, a root carries the core idea of a term. The root that denotes infection is seps-, as seen in words like sepsis and septic. This root comes from a Greek word related to putrefaction and infection, which is why it’s tied to infectious processes. The other roots point to different concepts: tom- means cut or to cut into (as in tomography), sten- means narrow (as in stenosis), and therm- means heat (as in thermometer). So seps- is the one that specifically relates to infection.

In medical terminology, a root carries the core idea of a term. The root that denotes infection is seps-, as seen in words like sepsis and septic. This root comes from a Greek word related to putrefaction and infection, which is why it’s tied to infectious processes. The other roots point to different concepts: tom- means cut or to cut into (as in tomography), sten- means narrow (as in stenosis), and therm- means heat (as in thermometer). So seps- is the one that specifically relates to infection.