< Neo-Latin < Greekont- (stem of ón, neuter present participle of eînai to be) + -o--o-
Examples from the web for onto
Slide a whole salmon fillet onto the grill, along with vegetable skewers.
And perhaps now another box can be checked: the practice of bribing one's way onto the charts.
Early whales plied the shallows but still hauled themselves onto shore, probably to rest and to give birth.
Yahoo isn't happy that a detailed menu of the spying services it provides law enforcement agencies has leaked onto the web.
Often something pops up in the conclusion that you can latch onto.
Moving out of the laboratory and onto the water, with a working oil-collection system, is the next step.
So they are going to slide the locomotive onto the back of the flatbed while it's still indoors.
Blot any juice from the cut end, then tap it onto your ink pad to cover the star's entire surface.
Print out the carousel card onto a card-weight paper stock.
These vibrations shake the pollen off the flower's anthers and onto the bee's body.
British Dictionary definitions for onto
onto
/ˈɒntʊ; unstressed ˈɒntə/
preposition
1.
to a position that is on: step onto the train as it passes
2.
having become aware of (something illicit or secret): the police are onto us
3.
into contact with: get onto the factory
Usage note
Onto is now generally accepted as a word in its own right. On to is still used, however, where on is considered to be part of the verb: he moved on to a different town as contrasted with he jumped onto the stage
onto-
combining form
1.
existence or being: ontogeny, ontology
Word Origin
from Late Greek, from ōn (stem ont-) being, present participle of einai to be
Word Origin and History for onto
prep.
1580s, as on to, from on + to. Appeared much later than parallel into. As a closed compound (on analogy of into), first recorded 1715.
onto-
word-forming element meaning "a being, individual; being, existence," from Greek onto-, from stem of on (genitive ontos) "being," neuter present participle of einai "to be" (see essence).