The combining form Pyr/o denotes which meaning?

• A. Fever
• B. Pain
• C. Breath
• D. Swelling

Answer: (A)

Pyr/o is a combining form that comes from a Greek word meaning fire, and in medical terminology it’s used to indicate fever—the rise in body temperature often associated with illness. That connection to heat makes fever the best match for pyr/o. For example, a substance that causes fever is called pyrogen, and pyrexia is another word for fever. The other options point to different combining forms: pain is often shown with -algia or odyn/o, breath with pneum/o or -pnea, and swelling with edema- or -edem/o, not pyr/o.