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 animal2: 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 structures3: an artificial permanent opening especially in the abdominal wall made in surgical procedures