What does physiology mean?
Word: Physiology
Part of Speech: Noun
Meaning: Physiology means the study of how the bodies of people, animals and plants work and how each part does its job.
How do you spell physiology?
Syllables: phys - i - ol - o - gy
Tricky part: After ph, the short i sound is spelt with a y, as in physics, not with an i.
Watch out for: phisiology, fisiology
Memory tip: Physiology starts exactly like physical: if you can write physical education, copy its first five letters.
Physiology in a sentence
Example 1: In our physiology lesson we learnt how the heart pumps blood around the body.
Example 2: Plant physiology explains how leaves use sunlight to make food.
Example 3: My sister wants to be a doctor, so she reads a physiology book every evening.
Fun Fact
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded since 1901; Alexander Fleming shared it in 1945 for the discovery of penicillin.
Practise the CREST Way
Mingle-Mangle
Form a meaningful word from the jumbled letters:
oyiyoplhsg
a) phraseology
b) physiology
c) physically
d) psychology
Show answer
b) physiology. There is no c in the jumble, and it has two y's, two o's and one l.
Word Cookie
Insert the correct pair of letters to form a word:
physi_l_gy
a) a, o
b) e, o
c) o, a
d) o, o
Show answer
d) o, o. Each side of the l takes the same vowel, as in geology.
Spell-o-Spell
Choose the incorrectly spelt word:
a) skeletan
b) nutrition
c) anatomy
d) physiology
Show answer
a) skeletan. Skeleton ends in ton, the same as button.
Word Cookie
Find the extra letter in the word:
physiollogy
a) o
b) y
c) l
d) g
Show answer
c) l. Like ecology and zoology, the word has one l in its ology ending.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A physiology lesson on breathing would explain ____.
a) how the lungs take in oxygen
b) how rocks form deep underground
c) how clouds form over the sea
d) how to read a weather map
Show answer
a) how the lungs take in oxygen
2. Physiology is a branch of which subject?
a) history
b) geography
c) biology
d) economics
Show answer
c) biology
