Which combining form denotes the coccyx (tailbone)?

Which combining form denotes the coccyx (tailbone)?

• A. Coccyg/o
• B. Caud/o
• C. Coccyx/o
• D. Coccyg/o/e

Answer: (D)

Think in terms of the building blocks used to name body parts: a root with a connecting vowel to attach to suffixes. For the coccyx (the tailbone), the appropriate combining form is coccyge/o, built from the root for coccyx plus the linking vowel. The option that shows this combining form as Coccyg/o/e indicates coccyge/o, which is the standard way to refer to the coccyx in terms that connect to suffixes (for example, coccygeal). The other options point to a general tail (caud/o) or use forms that aren’t the standard coccyx combining form, so they don’t correctly denote the coccyx.

Think in terms of the building blocks used to name body parts: a root with a connecting vowel to attach to suffixes. For the coccyx (the tailbone), the appropriate combining form is coccyge/o, built from the root for coccyx plus the linking vowel. The option that shows this combining form as Coccyg/o/e indicates coccyge/o, which is the standard way to refer to the coccyx in terms that connect to suffixes (for example, coccygeal).

The other options point to a general tail (caud/o) or use forms that aren’t the standard coccyx combining form, so they don’t correctly denote the coccyx.