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What does -ostomy mean in medical terms?
-ostomy
Meaning: surgical creation of an opening
Type: Suffix
A suffix goes at the very end of a word, after the root. On this page: what -ostomy means, and real medical words that use it, each broken down into its parts.
Example words using -ostomy
colostomy
colo (colon) + -ostomy (new opening) = surgical opening of the colon to the body surface
colo (colon) + -ostomy (new opening) = surgical opening of the colon to the body surface
tracheostomy
tracheo (trachea) + -ostomy (new opening) = surgical opening into the trachea
tracheo (trachea) + -ostomy (new opening) = surgical opening into the trachea
Shortened forms
Charts and notes shorten long terms — see the Medical Abbreviations guide for the short forms you will meet in real records.
Please note: This section teaches the language of medicine — what word parts mean and how terms are built. It is an educational reference, not medical advice. For the meaning of a word in your own medical record, ask the clinician who wrote it.