stoma

sto·ma

1. Botany One of the minute pores in the epidermis of a leaf or stem through which gases and water vapor pass. Also called stomate.
2. Anatomy A small aperture in the surface of a membrane.
3. A surgically constructed opening, especially one in the abdominal wall that permits the passage of waste after a colostomy or ileostomy.
4. Zoology A mouthlike opening, such as the oral cavity of a nematode.

Origin: New Latin, from Greek, mouth.

Related Forms:

• stoˈmal, stoˈma·tal adjective