The prefix Pharmac- is used to denote which concept?

• A. Drug
• B. Tissue
• C. Nerve
• D. Blood

Answer: (A)

The concept tested is recognizing pharmac- as a word part that refers to drugs. Pharmac- comes from a Greek root meaning drug or poison, and in medical terms it signals things related to medications. That’s why you see pharmacology, pharmacotherapy, pharmacokinetics, and pharmacopoeia—all about drugs and how they are used or act in the body. In contrast, terms built with hist- point to tissues (histology), neuro- to nerves (neuroscience), and hem- or hemat- to blood (hematology). So the prefix pharmac- specifically indicates drugs.