tooth

tooth

noun \ˈtüth\

plural teeth \ˈtēth\

Definition of TOOTH

1

a : one of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws or in many of the lower vertebrates on other bones in the walls of the mouth or pharynx and serve especially for the prehension and mastication of food and as weapons of offense and defense

b : any of various usually hard and sharp processes especially about the mouth of an invertebrate

2

: taste, liking

3

: a projection resembling or suggesting the tooth of an animal in shape, arrangement, or action <a saw tooth>: as

a : any of the regular projections on the circumference or sometimes the face of a wheel that engage with corresponding projections on another wheel especially to transmit force : cog

b : a small sharp-pointed marginal lobe or process on a plant

4

a : something that injures, tortures, devours, or destroys <jealousy with rankling tooth — Thomas Gray>

b plural : effective means of enforcement <drug laws with teeth>

5

: a roughness of surface produced by mechanical or artificial means

— tooth·like \ˈtüth-ˌlīk\ adjective

— in the teeth of

1

: in or into direct contact or collision with <sailing in the teeth of a hurricane — Current Biography>

2

: in direct opposition to <rule had…been imposed by conquest in the teeth of obstinate resistance — A. J. Toynbee>

— to the teeth

: fully, completely <armed to the teeth>

Examples of TOOTH

1. The dentist will have to pull that tooth.
2. You should brush your teeth every morning and night.
3. She clenched her teeth in anger.
4. He has a set of false teeth.
5. the teeth of a saw
6. The labor union showed that it has teeth.

Illustration of TOOTH

Origin of TOOTH

Middle English, from Old English tōth; akin to Old High German zand tooth, Latin dent-, dens, Greek odont-, odous

First Known Use: before 12th century

Rhymes with TOOTH

booth, couth, crwth, routh, ruth, scouth, sleuth, sooth, truth, Truth, youth

tooth

noun \ˈtüth\   (Medical Dictionary)

plural ; teeth \ˈtēth\ (audio pronunciation)

Medical Definition of TOOTH

: any of the hard bony appendages that are borne on the jaws and serve especially for the prehension and mastication of food—see milk tooth, permanent tooth

Illustration of TOOTH

tooth

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Cross section of an adult molar. The crown (the part of the tooth above the gum) is protected by a …—© Merriam-Webster Inc.

Any of the hard structures in the mouth used for biting and chewing and in speech. Each consists of a crown above the gum and one or more roots below it, embedded in the jaw. Its inner pulp contains the blood and nerve supply for the bonelike dentin, covered in the crown by enamel, the hardest tissue in the body. Twenty primary (baby) teeth come in by age 2 1/2 and fall out between ages 5 and 13 to be replaced by 32 permanent teeth. The incisors, in front, are shaped mostly for biting, the pointed canines for tearing, and the premolars and molars for grinding food. The teeth are subject to caries (decay), caused by acid from bacteria in plaque, a yellowish film that builds up on teeth. Misalignment of teeth between the upper and lower jaws can grind down the teeth and cause problems in chewing. Elsewhere, it is a cosmetic problem. Both can be treated with braces. See also dentistry.