stoma

[stoh-muh] /ˈstoʊ mə/
noun, plural stomata
[stoh-muh-tuh, stom-uh-, stoh-mah-tuh] /ˈstoʊ mə tə, ˈstɒm ə-, stoʊˈmɑ tə/ (Show IPA), stomas.
1.
Also, stomate. Botany. any of various small apertures, especially one of the minute orifices or slits in the epidermis of leaves, stems, etc., through which gases are exchanged.
2.
Zoology. a mouth or ingestive opening, especially when in the form of a small or simple aperture.
3.
Medicine/Medical. an artificial opening between two hollow organs or between one hollow organ and the outside of the body, constructed to permit the passage of body fluids or waste products.
Origin
1675-85; < Neo-Latin < Greek stóma mouth
Related forms
stomal, adjective
Examples from the web for stoma
  • To perform ileostomy, the surgeon makes a small opening in the lower right corner of the abdomen called a stoma.
British Dictionary definitions for stoma

stoma

/ˈstəʊmə/
noun (pl) stomata (ˈstəʊmətə; ˈstɒm-; stəʊˈmɑːtə)
1.
(botany) an epidermal pore, present in large numbers in plant leaves, that controls the passage of gases into and out of a plant
2.
(zoology, anatomy) a mouth or mouthlike part
3.
(surgery) an artificial opening made in a tubular organ, esp the colon or ileum See colostomy, ileostomy
Word Origin
C17: via New Latin from Greek: mouth
Word Origin and History for stoma
n.

"orifice, small opening in an animal body," 1680s, Modern Latin, from Greek stoma (genitive stomatos) "mouth," from PIE root *stom-en-, denoting various body parts and orifices (cf. Avestan staman- "mouth" (of a dog), Hittite shtamar "mouth," Middle Breton staffn "mouth, jawbone," Cornish stefenic "palate"). Surgical sense is attested from 1937.

stoma in Medicine

stoma sto·ma (stō'mə)
n. pl. sto·mas or sto·ma·ta (-mə-tə)

  1. A minute opening or pore, as in the surface of a membrane.

  2. A mouthlike opening, such as the oral cavity of a nematode.

  3. A surgically constructed opening, especially one made in the abdominal wall to permit the passage of waste.

sto'mal adj.
stoma in Science
stoma
  (stō'mə)   
Plural stomata (stō'mə-tə)

  1. Botany One of the tiny openings in the epidermis of a plant, through which gases and water vapor pass. Stomata permit the absorption of carbon dioxide necessary for photosynthesis from the air, as well as the removal of excess oxygen. Stomata occur on all living plant parts that have contact with the air; they are especially abundant on leaves. A single leaf may have many thousands of stomata. Each stoma is generally between 10 to 30 microns in length and is surrounded by a pair of crescent-shaped cells, called guard cells. The guard cells can change shape and close the stoma in order to prevent the loss of water vapor. See Note at transpiration.

  2. Zoology A mouthlike opening, such as the oral cavity of a nematode.

  3. Medicine A temporary or permanent opening in a body surface, especially the abdomen or throat, that is created by a surgical procedure, such as a colostomy or tracheostomy.