Which combining form is used to denote the adrenal gland?

• A. Kidney
• B. Pituitary
• C. Thyroid
• D. Adren/o

Answer: (D)

Understanding how medical terms are built helps identify body parts quickly. The combining form ads the root to a suffix to name a specific structure. For the adrenal gland, the standard combining form is adren/o. It’s used in terms like adrenopathy or adrenomegaly and appears in adrenal-related phrases such as adrenocortical hormones. The adrenal glands sit above the kidneys, which is why terms for the kidney use ren/o or nephr/o, not adren/o. The other options point to different organs: kidney (ren/o or nephr/o), pituitary (pituit/o), and thyroid (thyroid/o). Since the question asks for the combining form that denotes the adrenal gland, adren/o is the best choice.