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pen·ta·stome

(pĕntə-stōm′)

See tongue worm.

[From New Latin Pentastomum, name of former genus in which tongue worms were classified : PENTA- + -stomum, neuter of -stomus, mouthed (since the four claw-bearing structures at the tongue worm's head end were originally misinterpreted as additional mouths) (from Greek stoma, mouth).]

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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