Which combining form denotes relationship to the membranes covering the spinal cord or brain?

• A. Mening/o
• B. Menin/i
• C. Mening/i
• D. Iatr/o

Answer: (A)

Membranes covering the brain and spinal cord are the meninges, so the combining form that denotes relation to those membranes is mening/o. The linking vowel "o" lets you attach common suffixes to form related terms, such as mening/o + -itis = meningitis (inflammation of the meninges) or mening/o + -eal = meningeal (pertaining to the meninges). The other forms don’t represent the meninges: iatr/o relates to treatment or a physician, not the membranes, and the variants with -i are not the standard combining form used for this structure.