Which combining form pertains to cartilages?

• A. Chondr/o
• B. Eti/o
• C. Calc/i
• D. Leuk/o

Answer: (A)

Cartilage is a type of connective tissue, and the combining form used to refer to cartilage is chondr/o. This form appears in medical terms about cartilage, such as chondromalacia (cartilage softening) and chondroplasty (surgical repair of cartilage). The other roots don’t relate to cartilage: eti/o comes from etiology (the cause of a disease), calc/i relates to calcium or calcification, and leuk/o refers to white (as in leukocytes). So chondr/o is the one that specifically denotes cartilage.