The suffix -osis is defined as which concept?

• A. Abundance of
• B. In the blood
• C. Cutting of
• D. Pertaining to

Answer: (A)

The suffix -osis signals a condition, disease, or abnormal process. It’s used to name a state that something is in or a process that is occurring, rather than indicating quantity or location. For example, cirrhosis describes a diseased, scarred liver, and nephrosis refers to a kidney disease. It does not mean an abundance of something; that idea would not fit how -osis functions in medical terminology. Other suffixes in medical language convey location (for example, -emia means in the blood), procedure or cutting (such as -tomy), or describing a quality (like -ic or -al). So the concept tested is that -osis denotes a condition or process, not a measure of amount.