Which combining form means spleen?

Which combining form means spleen?

• A. Splen-
• B. Hepat-
• C. Nephr-
• D. Lien-

Answer: (D)

Spleen is shown by two common combining forms, one from Greek and one from Latin. The Latin-derived form lien- is used in medical terms to mean spleen. That’s why this option is the best fit here: lien- directly signals the spleen, as in terms like lienitis or lienal. In contrast, hepat- means liver and nephr- means kidney, so they don’t represent spleen. Splen- is another form that also means spleen (from Greek), but the option given uses the Latin lien- form, which is why it’s the correct choice in this item.

Spleen is shown by two common combining forms, one from Greek and one from Latin. The Latin-derived form lien- is used in medical terms to mean spleen. That’s why this option is the best fit here: lien- directly signals the spleen, as in terms like lienitis or lienal. In contrast, hepat- means liver and nephr- means kidney, so they don’t represent spleen. Splen- is another form that also means spleen (from Greek), but the option given uses the Latin lien- form, which is why it’s the correct choice in this item.