What does the combining form cle mean?

• A. Small
• B. Clavicle
• C. With, Together
• D. Colon

Answer: (A)

In medical terms, suffixes can signal size. The ending “-cle” acts as a diminutive suffix, indicating a smaller version of something. That makes the meaning conveyed by this combining form “small.” For example, a word ending in -cle refers to a tiny or little form of the root concept. The other options point to entirely different roots or meanings (a bone name, a part of the digestive tract, or a Latin/Greek prefix meaning with/together), so they don’t reflect the diminutive sense of “-cle.”