heterostomous
|het-er-o-stom-ous|
🇺🇸
/ˌhɛtərəˈstoʊməs/
🇬🇧
/ˌhɛtərəˈstəʊməs/
different kinds of mouths
Etymology
'heterostomous' originates from Greek, specifically the words 'heteros' and 'stoma', where 'heteros' meant 'other, different' and 'stoma' meant 'mouth'.
'heterostomous' was formed in Neo-Latin/modern scientific usage by combining Greek roots (hetero- + -stoma/-stomous) and entered English as a technical biological adjective in the 19th–20th centuries.
Initially it referred specifically to organisms with differently formed mouths; over time the usage has remained specialized but broadened to describe differing oral structures across taxa or life stages.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
having mouths or oral openings of different forms or types; in biology, characterized by distinct kinds of mouthparts or openings within a species or life stages.
The caterpillar and adult stages are heterostomous, showing distinctly different mouth structures.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/10 02:27