How is the term myopathy broken down into its root and suffix, and what does it mean?

• A. My/o (muscle) + -pathy (disease); myopathy = disease of muscle
• B. My/o (bone) + -pathy; myopathy = disease of bone
• C. Myo- (fat) + -pathy; myopathy = disease of fat
• D. Myo (muscle) + -sclerosis; myopathy = muscle hardening

Answer: (A)

Medical terms are built from a body-part root plus a suffix that names the condition. In myopathy, the root my/o means muscle, and the suffix -pathy means disease or disorder. Together, they describe a disease of muscle. The other options mix up the body part or the condition: bone would come from osteo- or os-, not my/o; fat would use adip/o or lip/o, not my/o; and -sclerosis means hardening, so a term like myosclerosis would describe muscle hardening, not a general muscle disease.