stomato

Stomato is a combining form of Greek origin meaning mouth or opening. In English scientific terminology, stomato- is used to form terms relating to the mouth or to openings in organisms.

Common examples include stomatology (the study of the mouth and its diseases), stomatitis (inflammation of the mouth), and stomatoplasty (surgical repair of a mouth-related structure). The form appears mainly in technical vocabulary and is rarely used as a stand-alone noun in everyday language.

The root is related to stoma, a general term for an opening, and to stomata, the pores on plant surfaces. While stomata derive from the same Greek root, they are a distinct term in botany and are not the same as formations built with stomato-.

In modern usage, terms built with stomato- describe anatomical regions, conditions, or procedures of the mouth, as well as openings in other organs or devices. Because it is chiefly a technical prefix, most readers encounter stomato- in dictionaries, glossaries, or scholarly articles rather than in general prose.

See also: stoma; stomata; stomatology; stomatitis; stomatoplasty.