˜yÐÄvlog

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ont-

1
  1. variant of onto- before a vowel.


-ont

2
  1. a combining form meaning “being,†used in the formation of compound words:

    diplont,

    haplont.

Ont.

3

abbreviation for

  1. Ontario.

Ont.

abbreviation for

  1. Ontario
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged†2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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˜yÐÄvlog History and Origins

Origin of ont-1

< Greek -ont stem of ṓn “being,†present participle of ±ðî²Ô²¹¾± “to be†( onto- ( def ) )

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˜yÐÄvlogs That Use Ont-

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 ŧ²Ô²õ, 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 ˜yÐÄvlogs That Use articles for onto- and -ont.

Examples of ont-

A technical term from philosophy that features the form ont- is ontic, “possessing the character of real rather than phenomenal existence; noumenal.â€

The first part of the word, ont-, means “being.†The suffix -ic has a variety of meanings, including “having some characteristics of.†Ontic literally translates to “having some characteristics of being.â€

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

  • ontal
  • ontically

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

Break it down!

The suffix -ically is used to form adverbs. With this in mind, where would you put ontically in the following sentence?

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