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?

Ont- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “being.” It is occasionally used in technical terms, especially in philosophy.

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.

Ont- is a variant of onto-, which loses its -o- when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels. When used as a suffix at the end of a word, ont- becomes -ont, as in diplont. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for onto- and -ont.

Examples of ont-

A technical term from philosophy that features the form ont- is ontic, “possessing the character of real rather than phenomenal existence; noumenal.”

The first part of the word, ont-, means “being.” The suffix -ic has a variety of meanings, including “having some characteristics of.” Ontic literally translates to “having some characteristics of being.”

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

• ontal
• ontically

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

• onco-
• oneiro-
• oto-
• -on
• -ton

Break it down!

The suffix -ically is used to form adverbs. With this in mind, where would you put ontically in the following sentence?