Which of the following sets of words have the same root word?

hyperthermia, hyperlipidemia, hyperthyroidism

radiography, mammography, ultrasonography

hysterectomy, tonsillectomy, mastectomy

tachycardia, bradycardia, cardiography

1 answer

The following sets of words have the same root word:

  1. hysterectomy, tonsillectomy, mastectomy - They all share the root "-ectomy," which means "surgical removal."

  2. tachycardia, bradycardia, cardiography - They all share the root "cardia," which refers to the heart. However, "tachy-" and "brady-" are prefixes indicating speed, while "cardiography" is related to the recording of heart activity.

The other pairs have different roots:

  • hyperthermia, hyperlipidemia, hyperthyroidism - They share the prefix "hyper-," meaning excessive, but have different root words: "thermia," "lipidemia," and "thyroid."
  • radiography, mammography, ultrasonography - They have different root words but share the suffix "-graphy," which refers to imaging techniques.

Therefore, the only set that strictly shares the same root in a more traditional sense is hysterectomy, tonsillectomy, mastectomy.