The prefix Encephal- refers to which organ?

The prefix Encephal- refers to which organ?

• A. Heart
• B. Brain
• C. Lung
• D. Kidney

Answer: (B)

Encephal- designates the brain in medical terms. You’ll see this prefix in words like encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and encephalopathy (a brain disorder), where it signals brain involvement. It’s easy to mix this up with prefixes for other organs, but those use different roots: the heart uses cardi- or cardio-, the lungs use pulmon- or pneum-, and the kidneys use nephr- or ren-. Because encephal- always points to the brain, the organ referred to by this prefix is the brain.

Encephal- designates the brain in medical terms. You’ll see this prefix in words like encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and encephalopathy (a brain disorder), where it signals brain involvement. It’s easy to mix this up with prefixes for other organs, but those use different roots: the heart uses cardi- or cardio-, the lungs use pulmon- or pneum-, and the kidneys use nephr- or ren-. Because encephal- always points to the brain, the organ referred to by this prefix is the brain.