-ata 1
a plural suffix occurring in loanwords from Latin, forming nouns used esp. in names of zoological groups: Vertebrata.
[ 1 , originally adj. in L, then substantivized in NL. ]
-ata 2
a plural suffix occurring in loanwords from Greek: stomata.
[ t- stems, - mata result of, state of, act of; cf. -MENT ]