ont-

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-.

One example of a scientific term that features the form -ont is diplont, the diploid individual in a life cycle that has a diploid and a haploid phase. In other words, it’s an organism with two sets of chromosomes.

The form dipl- means “double” or “in pairs.” Because -ont means “being,” diplont literally translates to “double being.”

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

• haplont
• schizont
• symbiont

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

• -ant
• -biont
• -ent
• -odont

Not every word that ends with the exact letters -ont, such as storefront or cryodont, is necessarily using the combining form -ont to denote “being.” Learn why -odont means “having teeth” at our entry for this form.

A diplont is an organism that has two sets of chromosomes. Keeping in mind that hapl- means “single,” what is a haplont?