The suffix that means 'use, subject to' is which?

• A. -ase
• B. Ante
• C. Aud
• D. -ate

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is how suffixes in medical terminology turn a root into an action or state. The suffix that means "to make, to cause to be" and also conveys the sense of applying or subjecting to something is -ate. That makes it the best fit for meaning "use, subject to," because it marks the action being applied to the stem word. For example, activate means to cause to be active (to apply activation), and medicate means to subject someone to medicine. The other suffixes don’t carry that action-or-subject-to sense: -ase marks enzymes, Ante is a prefix meaning before, and Aud relates to hearing.