# tooth

Pronunciation: say "TOOTH" US /tuθ/, UK /tuːθ/

## Noun

1. In many vertebrates, any of the hard, calcium-rich structures in the mouth that serve for biting and chewing food.
   - Simple: A hard white part in the mouth used for biting and chewing food.
   - _A cracked tooth can cause severe pain when you eat something cold._
   - _Crocodiles replace their teeth many times over a lifetime._
2. A liking or fondness for something.
   - Simple: A strong liking for a certain kind of food or thing.
   - _Grandpa has a sweet tooth and always keeps a bag of lemon drops in his coat pocket._
   - _Her sweet tooth got the better of her, and she ordered a second slice of pie._
3. Any of a row of projecting points or parts along the edge of a tool or mechanism, such as a saw, comb, rake, or gear, that cut, grip, or mesh with something.
   - Simple: One of the row of sharp or pointed parts along the edge of a saw, comb, gear, or similar object.
   - _Each tooth on the new saw was set at a slight angle for a cleaner cut._
   - _Years of use had dulled the teeth of the hand saw._
4. A pointed projection on another part of the body that resembles a tooth in the mouth of a vertebrate.
   - Simple: A small pointed part on an animal's body that looks like a tooth in the mouth.
   - _Each tiny tooth on the snail's radula scrapes algae from the rock._
   - _Certain rays bear hardened teeth along the gill arches._
5. In botany, one of the sharp points that project from a leaf's margin, as in serrated leaves.
   - Simple: A small pointed part along the edge of a leaf.
   - _Every tooth along the nettle's margin is visible through a hand lens._
   - _Botanists count the teeth on a leaf to tell similar species apart._
7. A slightly rough or gripping quality of a material that stops things from sliding on it, as in paper, canvas, or animation film that holds paint, or rope that keeps a knot secure.
   - Simple: A slightly rough feel on a surface such as paper, canvas, or rope that helps paint stick or knots hold.
   - _Animators chose a film with plenty of tooth so the gouache would grip._
   - _Slick synthetic cord has little tooth, so sailors add extra turns to keep their knots from slipping._

## Verb

6. To provide something with teeth, or to cut a notched or jagged edge into it.
   - Simple: To give something teeth, or to cut small points or notches along its edge.
   - _Craftsmen tooth the wheel so that it can grip the chain._
   - _The blade was toothed along one edge for cutting._

## Other meanings

- (verb) To engage by locking parts into one another, as the wheels of meshing gears do.
- (noun) In geometry, an irreducible component of a comb that meets the handle at exactly one point, distinct from where any other component meets it.

## Origin

From Middle English toth, from Old English tōþ, from Proto-Germanic *tanþs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts ("tooth"). It is related to tusk and tine, and cognate with Dutch tand, German Zahn, Latin dēns, and Sanskrit danta, among many others.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/tooth (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).