The suffix -Al denotes which meaning in medical terms?

• A. Pertaining to
• B. Without
• C. Inflammation
• D. Disease of

Answer: (A)

Suffix -al turns a base into an adjective that means "pertaining to" or "relating to" that body part or concept. That’s why terms ending in -al describe a relationship to something, such as renal (pertaining to the kidney) or nasal (pertaining to the nose). This is distinct from other suffixes: -itis means inflammation, -pathy or -disease- of suffixes describe disease of, and without is typically shown by prefixes like a- or an-. So the meaning conveyed by -al is specifically "pertaining to."