Caput- is a prefix meaning which region?

• A. Arm
• B. Head
• C. Chest
• D. Abdomen

Answer: (B)

Caput- designates the head. It comes from Latin, where caput means head, and that meaning carries into medical terms to indicate the head region. You’ll see it in words tied to the head or scalp, such as capital (from the head, origins of the word for city’s “head”), or caput succedaneum (swelling of the scalp in newborns). This is different from regions like the arm, chest, or abdomen, which use other roots such as brachial for arm, thoracic/pectoral for chest, and abdominal/ventral for abdomen. So caput- specifically points to the head.