Final answer:
The root word 'eryth/o' is falsely claimed to denote the color white, when in fact it denotes the color red, which aligns with Berlin and Kay's research on color term development in cultures.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement 'The root word eryth/o denotes the color white' is false. The correct statement is that the root word eryth/o denotes the color red. This is consistent with the linguistic pattern of color term development as researched by Berlin and Kay, which explains that after a culture distinguishes black from white, the next color term to emerge is typically red. Color terms then continue to be added in a specific order: green or yellow (with either being added first), followed by blue, then brown, and finally other colors such as purple, pink, orange, or gray.
In medical terminology, eryth/o is commonly used in compound words like erythrocyte (red blood cell) to denote the red color associated with blood. Knowing these root words is crucial for understanding and communicating medical terms precisely.