What does the root 'quar' signify in medical terminology?

• A. Eight
• B. Four
• C. Two
• D. Nine

Answer: (B)

The important idea is that numeric parts of medical terms come from roots that indicate a quantity. The root quar- comes from Latin quattuor, meaning four. It appears in terms describing four of something, such as the four limbs in quadriplegia or a four-part area like a quadrant, and in muscles described as having four heads (quadriceps). Because this root is tied to the number four, the meaning it conveys is four. The other numbers would use different roots (for example, uni- for one, bi- for two, tri- for three), so they don’t fit this root.