The root path or pathy denotes which concept?

• A. Suffering or feeling
• B. Work
• C. Disease (study of disease)
• D. Write

Answer: (C)

The concept being tested is the medical sense of the suffix -pathy. In medical terms, -pathy indicates a disease or disorder of a body part or a diseased state. This is why words like neuropathy (nerve disease) or cardiopathy (heart disease) use -pathy. The related word pathology specifically means the study of disease. While the root path- in other contexts relates to suffering (pathos), in terms like -pathy it points to a disease condition rather than an emotion or act like writing.