Which root means dusky color?

• A. Phago
• B. Pheo
• C. Philia
• D. Phleb(o)

Answer: (B)

Dusky color is conveyed by the root that starts with pheo-. This prefix comes from a Greek word meaning dusky, grayish, or brownish-yellow, and in medical terminology it signals a dark or dusky hue. It appears in terms like pheochromocytoma and pheomelanin, where the prefix indicates a dusky pigment. The other options don’t describe color: phago- means to eat, as in phagocytosis; phil-ia relates to love or affinity; and phleb- refers to veins, as in phlebitis or phlebotomy.