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urano-1

The heavens; the palate.

Greek ouranos, heavens, sky; roof of the mouth.

Terms relating to the heavens are archaic (uranography, the branch of astronomy concerned with describing and mapping the stars). The same stem occurs in the family of fishes called the Uranoscopidae, the stargazers, so called because their eyes are on top of their heads.

Words relating to the palate are specialist and relatively uncommon. Examples are uranoplasty, plastic surgery on the hard palate, and uranoschisis (Greek skhistos, divided), the technical term for a cleft palate.

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