Spot the correct spelling of adjective 'relating to the muscular tissue of the heart' .

Correct — C. Build the word from its parts:
myo- 'muscle' + cardi- 'heart' + -al, the adjective ending.

That gives myocardial, relating to the myocardium, the muscular tissue of the heart → option (c).

Why the others are wrong

• (a)
  Myocardiac — Myocardiac swaps the ending -al for -ac, borrowed from cardiac. The adjective formed on myocardium is myocardial, as in myocardial infarction.
• (b)
  Myocordial — Myocordial changes the a of cardi- to o. The heart root here is Greek kardia, as in cardiac and cardiology. Cord- comes from Latin cor, 'heart', as in cordial.
• (d)
  Myocardiol — Myocardiol ends in -iol, which is not an adjective ending. The adjectives from these heart words end in -al: myocardial, pericardial, endocardial.

Medical words are built from parts, and they are easier to spell once the parts are clear.

Myo- means muscle, as in myopathy, a disease of muscle tissue. Cardi- means heart, as in cardiac and cardiology. The noun myocardium is the heart's muscular wall.

The adjective adds -al: myocardial, as in myocardial infarction, the medical term for a heart attack.

Key facts

• The myocardium is the muscular tissue of the heart.
• Myocardial means relating to the myocardium.
• Myocardial infarction is the medical term for a heart attack.
• Myo- means muscle and cardi- means heart, both from Greek.

Common traps

• Choosing Myocardiac because cardiac is the familiar heart adjective
• Writing cord- for cardi- by analogy with cordial

No directly related past PYQ was found.