HAS 101 Medical and Diagnostic Terminology Practice Test

The main idea here is recognizing morphemes that describe tissue properties, specifically softening. The suffix that signifies softening of a tissue is -malacia. It indicates a process where a structure becomes softer than normal, as seen in terms like osteomalacia (softening of bone), chondromalacia patellae (softening of the cartilage under the patella), and laryngomalacia (softening of the larynx). This makes -malacia the best choice because it directly conveys the idea of softening. In contrast, Rhin- means the nose, -ology denotes the study of something, and spasm refers to a sudden, involuntary contraction, none of which describe softening.