What suffix means disease?

• A. -algia
• B. -megaly
• C. -pathy
• D. -gram

Answer: (C)

A disease or disorder is often indicated by the suffix -pathy, from Greek pathos meaning suffering. This suffix shows a disease process affecting a specific body part, as in nephropathy (kidney disease), neuropathy (nerve disease), or cardiomyopathy (heart disease).

In contrast, the other suffixes have different meanings: -algia means pain (neuralgia is nerve pain), -megaly means enlargement (hepatomegaly is an enlarged liver), and -gram means a record or image (electrocardiogram is a recording of the heart’s electrical activity).

So the suffix that denotes disease is -pathy.