Which term demonstrates the prefix POLY-?

Which term demonstrates the prefix POLY-?

• A. POLYGAMY
• B. POLYGRAPH
• C. POLYNUCLEOTIDE
• D. POLYDERM

Answer: (A)

POLY- means many. The term polygamy clearly demonstrates that meaning because it literally refers to many marriages—the prefix and root combine to express a concept of multiple partners in marriage. The other terms also include poly-, but they shift the focus to different ideas: a polygraph is an instrument that records multiple signals, a poly-nucleotide describes a molecule made of many nucleotides, and poly-derm isn’t a common medical term. Among these, polygamy presents the clearest, direct illustration of “many” in a real-world concept.

POLY- means many. The term polygamy clearly demonstrates that meaning because it literally refers to many marriages—the prefix and root combine to express a concept of multiple partners in marriage. The other terms also include poly-, but they shift the focus to different ideas: a polygraph is an instrument that records multiple signals, a poly-nucleotide describes a molecule made of many nucleotides, and poly-derm isn’t a common medical term. Among these, polygamy presents the clearest, direct illustration of “many” in a real-world concept.