The prefix Cauda- refers to which of the following?

The prefix Cauda- refers to which of the following?

• A. Tail
• B. Section
• C. Expansion
• D. Black

Answer: (A)

Cauda- is Latin for tail, and in medical terms it signals movement toward the tail end of the body. In anatomy you’ll see it used to describe the caudal direction, meaning toward the lower back or tail side, opposite to cranial, which means toward the head. A familiar example is the cauda equina, the bundle of nerve roots at the end of the spinal cord that resembles a horse’s tail. So the meaning is clearly tail. The other ideas—section, expansion, or color—come from different roots and aren’t conveyed by cauda-.

Cauda- is Latin for tail, and in medical terms it signals movement toward the tail end of the body. In anatomy you’ll see it used to describe the caudal direction, meaning toward the lower back or tail side, opposite to cranial, which means toward the head. A familiar example is the cauda equina, the bundle of nerve roots at the end of the spinal cord that resembles a horse’s tail. So the meaning is clearly tail. The other ideas—section, expansion, or color—come from different roots and aren’t conveyed by cauda-.