ont-

¹

1. variant of onto- before a vowel.

-ont

²

1. a combining form meaning “being,” used in the formation of compound words:

   diplont,

   haplont.

Ont.

³

abbreviation for

1. Ontario.

Ont.

abbreviation for

1. Ontario

Word History and Origins

Origin of ont-¹

< Greek -ont stem of ṓn “being,” present participle of eînai “to be” ( onto- ( def ) )

Example Sentences

Harry and Ms Miler shook hands ont he tarmac when he arrived last night, and tonight he will join her for a state dinner.

From The Daily Beast

Ajoutez cecy, s'il vous plaist, la grande difficult qu'il y a de tirer d'eux les mots mesmes qu'ils ont.

From Project Gutenberg

Cette anne il a couru par dela plusieurs maladies de dysenteries, qui ont est mortelles ceux qui en estoient attaints.

From Project Gutenberg

Quand ils ont est six semaines en vn lieu il faut changer de demeure.

From Project Gutenberg

Ce qui ayda la disette que noz Franois ont par-dela soufferte.

From Project Gutenberg

Je les ai dj vus plusieurs fois, mais chaque fois que je les vois je crois que ce sont des Anges qui ont descendu sur la terre.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use -Ont

What does -ont mean?

The combining form -ont is used like a suffix to mean “being.” It is very occasionally used in scientific terms, especially in biology.

The form -ont comes from Greek ṓn, meaning “being.” The Latin equivalents are ēns, ent- and essent- “being,” which are the sources of entity and essence.

When used as a prefix at the beginning of a word, -ont becomes ont- or onto-, as in ontogeny or ontic. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for ont- and onto-.

Examples of -ont

One example of a scientific term that features the form -ont is diplont, the diploid individual in a life cycle that has a diploid and a haploid phase. In other words, it’s an organism with two sets of chromosomes.

The form dipl- means “double” or “in pairs.” Because -ont means “being,” diplont literally translates to “double being.”

What are some words that use the combining form -ont?

• haplont
• schizont
• symbiont

What are some other forms that -ont may be commonly confused with?

• -ant
• -biont
• -ent
• -odont

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -ont, such as storefront or cryodont, is necessarily using the combining form -ont to denote “being.” Learn why -odont means “having teeth” at our entry for this form.

Break it down!

A diplont is an organism that has two sets of chromosomes. Keeping in mind that hapl- means “single,” what is a haplont?