onto

¹

[ on-too, awn-; unstressed on-tuh, awn- ]

preposition

1. to a place or position on; upon; on:

   to get onto a horse.

2. Informal. in or into a state of awareness about:

   I'm onto your scheme.

adjective

1. Also . Mathematics. pertaining to a function or map from one set to another set, the range of which is the entire second set.

onto-

²

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

   ontogeny.

onto-

¹

combining_form

1. existence or being

   ontology

   ontogeny

onto

²

/ ˈɒntʊ; ˈɒntə /

preposition

1. to a position that is on

   step onto the train as it passes

2. having become aware of (something illicit or secret)

   the police are onto us

3. into contact with

   get onto the factory

Usage

Onto is now generally accepted as a word in its own right. On to is still used, however, where on is considered to be part of the verb: he moved on to a different town as contrasted with he jumped onto the stage

Word History and Origins

Origin of onto¹

First recorded in 1575–85; on + to

Origin of onto²

< New Latin < Greek ont- (stem of ón, neuter present participle of eînai to be) + -o- -o-

Word History and Origins

Origin of onto¹

from Late Greek, from ōn (stem ont- ) being, present participle of einai to be

Example Sentences

For his part, Bratton is disappointed but not surprised that the same narrative is already being mapped onto Fry and Spencer.

From The Daily Beast

So it might be me projecting my desires onto Archer to want to just get away from work for a few weeks.

From The Daily Beast

I was sick in street gutters, onto my desk, at dinners with friends.

From The Daily Beast

Gang tattoos are still inked onto his face, like scarlet letters.

From The Daily Beast

Where these laser-like missiles are falling out of the sky onto a city and you have to stop each of them from hitting the targets?

From The Daily Beast

I put down my haid, and was just kinda dragged up the aisle and onto the platform.

From Project Gutenberg

His untidy hair was rumpled, as if someone had been hanging onto it while in the process of giving him the shiner.

From Project Gutenberg

Either: we cannot give you what you ask, so fall back onto the defensive; or, go ahead, we will give you the means.

From Project Gutenberg

But momentum was sufficient to carry Jeff Weedham's roadster out onto the road.

From Project Gutenberg

Black Hood let the clutch slap in and the roadster bounded back onto the tarvia drive.

From Project Gutenberg

Words That Use

What does onto- mean?

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

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

What are variants of onto-?

When combined with words or word elements that begin with a vowel, onto- becomes ont-, as in ontic. When used as a suffix at the end of a word, onto- becomes -ont, as in diplont. Want to know more? Read our Words That Use articles for ont- and -ont.

Examples of onto-

One example of a term from philosophy that features the form onto- is ontology, the branch of metaphysics that studies the nature of existence. Ontology comes from the New Latin ontologia, which uses the equivalent form of onto- in the language.

The onto- part of the word means “being,” but what about the -logy part of the word? It may look familiar from words like biology; the form -logy is used to name areas of study or branches of science, from Greek logía. Ontology literally means “the study of being.”

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

• ontogenesis
• ontogenetic
• ontogeny
• ontological
• ontologize

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

• onco-
• oneiro-
• oto-

Break it down!

The combining form -geny means “origin.” With this in mind, what does the biological term ontogeny mean?