The suffix -tripsy means

• A. crushing
• B. study of
• C. death
• D. pain, suffering

Answer: (A)

The suffix -tripsy denotes a crushing or fragmentation procedure. It comes from Greek roots that mean to crush, so it signals a medical action that breaks something into smaller pieces. In practice, this appears in terms like lithotripsy, where stones in the kidney or urinary tract are crushed so they can be passed or removed. That direct meaning of crushing makes it the best fit. Other endings convey different ideas—study of (as in -ology), pain (as in -algia), or death (expressed by terms like necrosis)—and do not indicate a crushing procedure.