Which statement is true about the roots hem/o and hemat/o?

Which statement is true about the roots hem/o and hemat/o?

• A. They both refer to blood
• B. They refer to nerve
• C. They refer to water
• D. They refer to pus

Answer: (A)

Both hem/o and hemat/o refer to blood. They come from the Greek haima, the word for blood, and are used to form medical terms about blood. For example, hemoglobin is the blood protein that carries oxygen, and hematology is the study of blood. A hematoma is a pool of blood outside vessels. They are not about nerve (neur/o), water (hydr/o), or pus (pur/o or py/o), which is why the statement that they both refer to blood is the correct one.

Both hem/o and hemat/o refer to blood. They come from the Greek haima, the word for blood, and are used to form medical terms about blood. For example, hemoglobin is the blood protein that carries oxygen, and hematology is the study of blood. A hematoma is a pool of blood outside vessels. They are not about nerve (neur/o), water (hydr/o), or pus (pur/o or py/o), which is why the statement that they both refer to blood is the correct one.