incisor

noun in·ci·sor \ in-ˈsī-zər \

|Updated on: 1 Aug 2018

Definition of incisor

: a front tooth typically adapted for cutting; especially : one of the cutting teeth in mammals located between the canines when canines are present — see tooth illustration

See incisor defined for English-language learners

See incisor defined for kids

Recent Examples of incisor from the Web

To the right of her navel, there were two pairs of ugly red puncture holes: incisors.

— rachel aviv, The New Yorker, "Cairo: A Type of Love Story," 30 Apr. 2018
The oldest hominin remains from East Asia, two incisors from southwest China, are around 1.7 million years old (see ‘Travelling Hominins’).

— colin barras, Scientific American, "Tools from China are Oldest Hint of Human Lineage Outside Africa," 11 July 2018
So the owner tried to help, by attempting to saw the painful top off the offending incisor.

— lizzie wade, Science | AAAS, "3000-year-old sawn-off tooth may be the earliest evidence of horse dentistry," 2 July 2018
Four types of teeth are nestled into our jaws: molars, premolars, canines and incisors, plus the optional wisdom teeth.

— charlotte hu, Discover Magazine, "Teeth," 15 June 2018
Individual slots for each tooth (incisors, canines, molars et.

— sarah schreiber, Good Housekeeping, "This Baby Box Has Completely Divided a Generation of Parents," 20 Dec. 2016
The first incisor, so to speak, was a special-use district that the Planning Department added to the commercial corridor in 2014.

— jonathan kauffman, SFChronicle.com, "Is 24th Street’s Latino Cultural District enough to stop gentrification?," 15 June 2018
At 5 weeks, the young western lowland gorilla was seen to have two lower incisors.

— martin weil, Washington Post, "Infant gorilla now teething, National Zoo says," 8 June 2018
That doesn't stop other families from handing out $5, $10, or even $20 for incisors, Moneyish reports.

— caroline picard, Good Housekeeping, "This Is How Much Kids Are Getting From the Tooth Fairy These Days," 18 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'incisor.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of incisor

1666

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

INCISOR Defined for English Language Learners

incisor

noun

Definition of incisor for English Language Learners

: a tooth that has a sharp edge for biting : one of the four front teeth of the upper or lower jaw

INCISOR Defined for Kids

incisor

noun in·ci·sor \ in-ˈsī-zər \

Definition of incisor for Students

: a tooth (as any of the four front teeth of the human upper or lower jaw) for cutting

Medical Dictionary

incisor

noun in·ci·sor \ in-ˈsī-zər \

medical Definition of incisor

: a front tooth adapted for cutting; especially : any of the eight cutting human teeth that are located between the canines with four in the lower and four in the upper jaw