ont-

¹ American  

1. variant of onto- before a vowel.

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-ont ² American  

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

   diplont,

   haplont.

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Ont. ³ American  

abbreviation

1. Ontario.

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Ont. British  

abbreviation

1. Ontario

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Usage

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.

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-.

Etymology

Origin of -ont

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