The prefix steth(o)- means?

• A. Left
• B. Chest
• C. Vertebrae
• D. Spleen

Answer: (B)

Understanding prefixes that indicate body regions helps decode medical terms. The combining form steth(o)- designates the chest area. You can see this in terms like stethoscope, which is the instrument used to listen to heart and lung sounds in the chest. Because stethos comes from Greek for chest, steth(o)- clearly points to the chest, not to the left side, vertebrae, or spleen. Left would come from a prefix like sinistr(o)-, vertebrae from spondyl(o)- or vertebr-, and spleen from splen(o)-. So the meaning associated with steth(o)- is chest.