Stoma
/ˈstoʊ.mə/noun
A natural body opening or a tiny pore, especially in a leaf, through which gases pass.
Did you know?Its Greek root *stóma* also gave English *stomach*, *stammer*, and *epistrophe*’s cousin *stoma-* in science, all orbiting the ancient idea of the mouth as an opening of power.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*stómh₂
“mouth, opening”
Ancient Greek
Greek
στόμα (stóma)
“mouth; opening; entrance”
Late Latin
Latin
stoma
“mouth; opening”
17th Century
English
stoma
“a mouthlike opening; later, a tiny pore in plant tissue”
Modern English
English
stoma
“a natural opening, especially a pore in plant tissue or a surgically created body opening”
Explore more surprising origins