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Question

Difficulty: HardGreek Roots

Evaluate the morphological components of the medical and scientific terms *somatotype*, *psychosomatic*, and *chromosome*. Which Greek root, denoting 'body' or 'physical matter,' correctly completes the etymological statement below?

Answer:The compound terms *somatotype*, *psychosomatic*, and *chromosome* are all built upon the Greek root 【somat】, which specifically signifies 'body.'

Answer

somat (or soma / somato)
The Greek root *somat* (or *soma* / *somato-*) directly translates to 'body.' It forms the anatomical base of *somatotype* (body physique category), *psychosomatic* (involving the interaction of mind and physical body), and *chromosome* (literally a 'colored body,' from Greek *chroma* meaning color and *soma* meaning body).

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Isolate the common morpheme shared across the sample words *somatotype*, *psychosomatic*, and *chromosome*.
The common morphological element appearing in all three terms is the root *soma* or *somat-*.
Deconstructing compound words into their constituent morphemes identifies the central base root.
2
Verify the etymological origin and core definition of the identified root.
The Greek noun *soma* (stem *somat-*) literally translates to 'body' or 'physical substance.'
Etymological verification confirms that the root matches the meaning specified in the prompt.
3
Validate the semantic contribution of the root within each context word.
*Somatotype* refers to a classification of human body build; *psychosomatic* refers to physical body symptoms caused by mental processes (*psyche*); *chromosome* refers to a microscopic cellular 'colored body' (*chroma* + *soma*).
Contextual validation ensures the definition is consistent across all examples.

Key Concept

Greek Root Analysis (soma/somat = body)
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

Greek Roots

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