OMA

¹

1. orderly marketing agreement.

-oma

²

, plural -omas, -omata.

1. a noun suffix used to form names of tumors, of the kind specified by the base:

   fibroma; melanoma.

-oma

combining form

1. indicating a tumour

   carcinoma

–oma

1. A suffix meaning “tumor” or “cancer,” as in carcinoma. Often, the suffix is added to the name of the affected body part, as in lymphoma, cancer of the lymph tissue.

Word History and Origins

Origin of OMA¹

Probably extracted from carcinoma or sarcoma

Word History and Origins

Origin of OMA¹

from Greek -ōma

Example Sentences

The museum in its court filing is asking to use the $1.8 million for “OMA’s general purposes related to, and in service of, its existing permanent collection,” including “curatorial staff, vault maintenance/repair, security devoted to the permanent collection, etc.”

From New York Times

The museum said in the filing that it could not use the bequest only to buy artwork because it does not have a ‘Permanent Collection Fund,’” which “makes it impossible for the OMA to achieve the donor’s purpose.”

From New York Times

The Friends of American Art, an OMA “collecting circle” whose members donate money to buy art for the permanent collection, has recently expressed concerns that their own contributions might be diverted to address the museum’s cash crunch.

From New York Times

“So which is it?” asked Fiorella Escalon, a donor who heads a public “Save OMA” campaign that has criticized the museum’s transparency.

From New York Times

“We expect current and future donors to the Museum to appreciate OMA’s approach here,” she said.

From New York Times

Words That Use -oma

What does -oma mean?

The suffix –oma is used to name tumors. The suffix -oma is used in many medical terms, especially in pathology.

The suffix -oma is probably taken from words like sarcoma and carcinoma. Sarcoma comes from the Greek sárkōma, meaning “fleshy growth,” and carcinoma from the Greek, karkínōma, “sore, ulcer, cancer.”

When used in the plural, -oma can be either -omas or -omata, as in lipomas or lipomata.

What are variants of -oma?

Especially in biology terms, the suffix -oma becomes -ome, as in rhizome, and indicates a mass or specific kind of part.

Examples of -oma

One example of a medical term you may be familiar with that features the suffix -oma is fibroma, “a tumor consisting essentially of fibrous tissue.”

The first part of the word, fibr-, is a combining form meaning “fiber.” The suffix -oma denotes “tumor.” Fibroma literally translates to “fibrous tumor.”

What are some words that use the suffix –oma?

• adenoma (using the equivalent form of -oma in New Latin)
• angioma
• blastoma
• carcinoma (using the equivalent form of -oma in New Latin and Greek)
• coloboma (using the equivalent form of -oma in New Latin and Greek)
• cystoma
• embryoma
• encephaloma
• epithelioma
• granuloma
• hematoma
• keratoma
• lipoma (using the equivalent form of -oma in New Latin)
• lymphocytoma
• melanoma
• myeloma
• nephroma
• osteoma
• sarcoma (using the equivalent form of -oma in New Latin and Greek)
• teratoma
• trachoma (using the equivalent form of -oma in Greek)

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

• -on
• -one
• omo-

Break it down!

In medicine, the combining forms lipo- and lip- mean “fat.” What kind of tissue does a lipoma consist of?