What it means
The ending of the name of an operation that creates a new opening. A colostomy brings part of the colon out through the belly wall, an ileostomy brings out part of the small intestine and a tracheostomy is an opening into the windpipe. The opening on the skin is called a stomaSTOH-muhAn opening on the surface of the body made by surgery, such as the end of bowel brought out through the belly wall.stoma mouth, openingFull entry . Also written -stomy. Compare -ectomyEK-tuh-meeA word ending that means surgical removal.Full entry (removal) and -otomyOT-uh-meeA word ending that means cutting into, or a surgical incision.Full entry (cutting into).
Remember it
Stoma means mouth: an -ostomy makes a new mouth-like opening.
At a glance
| Also written | -stomy |
|---|
Easy to confuse with
Related terms
col/o
A word root that means colon, the large intestine.
-ectomy
A word ending that means surgical removal.
-otomy
A word ending that means cutting into, or a surgical incision.
stoma
An opening on the surface of the body made by surgery, such as the end of bowel brought out through the belly wall.
trache/o
A word part that means the trachea, the windpipe.