gingiva

noun

gin·​gi·​va ˈjin-jə-və How to pronounce gingiva (audio) jin-ˈjī- How to pronounce gingiva (audio)
plural gingivae ˈjin-jə-ˌvē How to pronounce gingiva (audio)
jin-ˈjī-
: gum entry 1
gingival
ˈjin-jə-vəl How to pronounce gingiva (audio)
adjective

Word History

Etymology

Latin

First Known Use

circa 1889, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of gingiva was circa 1889

Rhymes for gingiva

See All Rhymes for gingiva

Browse Nearby Words

gingiv-
gingiva
gingival
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Gingiva.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gingiva. Accessed 8 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Medical Definition

More from Merriam-Webster on gingiva

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about gingiva

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of gambol

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All