Main Entry: sto·ma

Pronunciation: \ˈstō-mə\

Function: noun

Inflected Form(s): plural sto·ma·ta \-mə-tə\ also stomas

Etymology: New Latin, from Greek stomat-, stoma mouth

Date: circa 1684

1 : any of various small simple bodily openings especially in a lower animal
2 : one of the minute openings in the epidermis of a plant organ (as a leaf) through which gaseous interchange takes place; also : the opening with its associated cellular structures
3 : an artificial permanent opening especially in the abdominal wall made in surgical procedures