Which root means network?

• A. Retro
• B. Rhin(o)
• C. Reticulum
• D. Ren

Answer: (C)

Recognizing a root that conveys a net or mesh is what this item tests. Reticulum comes from Latin rete, meaning net, with the diminutive form reticulum meaning “little net.” In anatomy and medicine, terms built from this root describe net-like, meshwork structures. For example, reticular connective tissue forms a delicate, net-like framework that supports other tissues, and the brain’s reticular formation is a network of neurons connecting various regions. That sense of a mesh or net is what the root communicates, making it the one that means network. The other roots don’t carry that idea: retro- means backward, rhin(o)- relates to the nose, and ren- refers to the kidney.