Mito

Mito is a term with multiple senses depending on language and context. In several Romance languages, mito is the word for myth, used to describe traditional stories, legends, or widely held beliefs. This sense is common in everyday speech and literature, and it forms the basis of phrases such as mito urbano or myth in local languages. In English, the equivalent word is myth, though mito may appear in titles or quotations.

In biology, mito is widely used informally as a shorthand for mitochondrion, the organelle responsible for generating most of a cell’s ATP through respiration. Mitochondria are bounded by two membranes and contain their own circular DNA (mtDNA). They house the electron transport chain and ATP synthase, producing ATP via oxidative phosphorylation, and they form cristae—folds of the inner membrane that increase surface area. Mitochondria are numerous in energy-demanding tissues. They also participate in metabolic signaling, apoptosis, and heat generation in brown adipose tissue.

Geographically, Mito is a city in eastern Japan, officially Mito City, the capital of Ibaraki Prefecture. It is known for Kairaku-en, one of Japan's three famous gardens, and for several historical sites. The name is sometimes written with kanji for “water” and “gate” and is unrelated to the organism or myth senses.