Suffix -lysis means which?

Suffix -lysis means which?

• A. Bile
• B. Loosening, Destruction
• C. Blue
• D. Half

Answer: (B)

The suffix -lysis signals a process of destruction or breakdown—the substance is dissolved or destroyed. In medical terms, it describes how something is treated to break it down or be destroyed, as in hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells) or hydrolysis (chemical breakdown by water). This sense of breaking down or dissolving is what the item is testing. The other options don’t fit this idea: bile and blue relate to different roots or meanings, and half points to a fractional idea, none of which convey a process of destruction or dissolution.

The suffix -lysis signals a process of destruction or breakdown—the substance is dissolved or destroyed. In medical terms, it describes how something is treated to break it down or be destroyed, as in hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells) or hydrolysis (chemical breakdown by water). This sense of breaking down or dissolving is what the item is testing. The other options don’t fit this idea: bile and blue relate to different roots or meanings, and half points to a fractional idea, none of which convey a process of destruction or dissolution.