The suffix -ial indicates which meaning?

• A. Pain
• B. Without
• C. Pertaining to
• D. Disease

Answer: (C)

Suffix -ial means pertaining to. It turns a root into an adjective that describes a relationship to that root, signaling that something is related to or connected with that body part or concept. In medical terms, this helps specify what the statement is about. For example, facial means pertaining to the face, showing how -ial conveys “related to.” The other options reflect different word parts: pain is typically shown by a suffix like -algia, “without” comes from a prefix, and disease is usually indicated by other suffixes such as -itis or -pathy rather than -ial.