The suffix -ia means which of the following?

• A. condition
• B. inflammation
• C. softening
• D. study of

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is what a suffix means in medical terms. The ending -ia is used to name a condition or state. In medical vocabulary, many disease or abnormal states end with -ia, signaling that the term refers to a condition—for example, anemia describes the condition of having too few red blood cells. Other endings point to different ideas: -itis means inflammation, -malacia means softening, and -ology or -logy indicates the study of something. So -ia best matches a condition.