The combining forms hemat-, haemato-, hem(a), hem(o) refer to which meaning?

The combining forms hemat-, haemato-, hem(a), hem(o) refer to which meaning?

• A. Referring to blood
• B. Referring to the liver
• C. Referring to tissue
• D. Referring to water

Answer: (A)

These combining forms all mean blood, coming from the Greek haima. They’re used in medical terms to indicate blood or blood-related processes. For example, hematology is the study of blood; a hematoma is a localized pool of blood outside vessels; hematopoiesis is the formation of blood cells; hemoglobin is the blood protein that carries oxygen. The different spellings (hemat-, haemato-, hem(a), hem(o)-) are simply variations in usage, not changes in meaning. In contrast, words referring to the liver use hepat-, those about tissue use hist-, and those about water use hydr-/aqua-, so they don’t apply here.

These combining forms all mean blood, coming from the Greek haima. They’re used in medical terms to indicate blood or blood-related processes. For example, hematology is the study of blood; a hematoma is a localized pool of blood outside vessels; hematopoiesis is the formation of blood cells; hemoglobin is the blood protein that carries oxygen. The different spellings (hemat-, haemato-, hem(a), hem(o)-) are simply variations in usage, not changes in meaning. In contrast, words referring to the liver use hepat-, those about tissue use hist-, and those about water use hydr-/aqua-, so they don’t apply here.