Definition of "stoma" [‖Sto•ma]

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

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "If the stoma is at least six weeks old, either pull the tube out a little or push it in a little to match the previous length measurement."
• "Right, so a stoma is the external opening of one's internal guts."
• "She said nurses such as stoma and diabetes nurses had shown particular interest in the scheme and its ability to provide patients with information in a secure, written form that patients could then refer to as many times as they wished."