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Origin and history of stoma

stoma(n.)

"orifice, small opening in an animal body," 1680s, in zoology, Modern Latin, from Greek stoma (plural stomata, genitive stomatos) "mouth; mouthpiece; talk, voice; mouth of a river; any outlet or inlet."

This is reconstructed to be from PIE root *stom-en-, denoting various body parts and orifices (source also of Avestan staman- "mouth" (of a dog), Hittite shtamar "mouth," Middle Breton staffn "mouth, jawbone," Cornish stefenic "palate").

In botany, in reference to small slits in leaves, etc., by 1837. The surgical sense is attested by 1937. Related: Stomal.

also from 1680s

Entries linking to stoma

anastomosis(n.)

in anatomy, "union or intercommunication of the vessels of one system with those of another," 1610s, medical Latin, from Greek anastomosis "outlet, opening," from anastomoein "to open, discharge" (as one sea into another), "to furnish with a mouth," from ana "again, anew" (see ana-) + stoma "mouth" (see stoma). Related: Anastomotic.

colostomy(n.)

1888, from combining form of colon (n.2) + Modern Latin -stoma "opening, orifice," from Greek stoma "opening, mouth" (see stoma). Colotomy "operation of making an incision in the colon" is attested from 1860, from Greek tome "a cutting."

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stomach
late 14c. variant of earlier stomake (early 14c.), "the human stomach, internal pouch of the body into which food is digested," from Old French stomaque, estomac "stomach," from Latin stomachus "throat, gullet; stomach," also "taste, inclination, liking; distaste, dislike;" also
voice
late 13c., "sound made by the human mouth," from Old French voiz "voice, speech; word, saying, rumor, report" (Modern French voix), from Latin vocem (nominative vox) "voice, sound, utterance, cry, call, speech, sentence, language, word" (source also of Italian voce, Spanish voz),
pore
early 13c., pouren, "gaze intently, look with close and steady attention or examination," a word of unknown origin, with no obvious corresponding word in Old French. Perhaps from an unrecorded Old English *purian, suggested by spyrian "to investigate, examine" (cognate with Old N
stamen
sta-men- (source also of Greek stēmōn "warp in the upright loom," also used by Hesychius for some part of a plant, Gothic stoma...
rope
Middle English rop, from Old English rap "strong, heavy cord of considerable thickness," from Proto-Germanic *raipaz (source also of Old Norse reip, West Frisian reap, Middle Dutch, Dutch reep "rope," Old Frisian silrap "shoe-thong," Gothic skauda-raip "shoe-lace," Old High Germa
opening
Old English openung "act of making open" (a door, mouth, etc.), "disclosure, manifestation," verbal noun from present participle of open (v.). Meaning "vacant space, hole, aperture, doorway" is attested from c. 1200. Meaning "act of opening (a place, to the public)" is from late
nervous
late 14c., "containing nerves; affecting the sinews" (the latter sense now obsolete); from Latin nervosus "sinewy, vigorous," from nervus "sinew, nerve" (see nerve (n.)). The meaning "of or belonging to the nerves" in the modern anatomical sense is from 1660s. From 1630s it was u
pamphlet
"small, unbound treatise," late 14c., pamflet, "brief written text; poem, tract, small book," from Anglo-Latin panfletus, which probably is a popular short form of "Pamphilus, seu de Amore" ("Pamphilus, or about Love"), a short 12c. Latin love poem popular and widely copied in th
moment
late 14c., "very brief portion of time, instant," in moment of time, from Old French moment (12c.) "moment, minute; importance, weight, value" and directly from Latin momentum "movement, motion; moving power; alteration, change;" also "short time, instant" (also source of Spanish
Nicholas
masc. proper name, from French Nicolas, from Latin Nicholaus, Nicolaus, from Greek Nikolaos, literally "victory-people," from nikē "victory" (see Nike) + laos "people" (see lay (adj.)). The saint associated with Christmas (died 326 C.E.) was a bishop of Myra in Lycia, patron of s

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