The root vagin denotes which organ?

• A. Esophagus
• B. Liver
• C. Vagina
• D. Kidney

Answer: (C)

The root vagin- signals the vagina. In medical terms, roots carry the core meaning, and vagin- is used for terms related to the vaginal canal, such as vaginoplasty or vaginitis. The vagina is the muscular canal that connects the uterus to the outside of the body, which is why vagin- points to that organ.

Other organs are linked to different roots: the esophagus uses esophag/o, the liver uses hepat/o, and the kidney uses nephr/o or ren/o, so those choices don’t fit the vagin- root.