edentulous
English
WOTD – 18 November 2008
Etymology
Latin edentulus, which is in turn derived from the prefix e-, meaning "without", and the word dens, meaning "tooth."
Pronunciation
Adjective
edentulous (not comparable)
- (sciences) Toothless.
- Antonym: dentulous
- 1958, Anthony Burgess, The Enemy in the Blanket (The Malayan Trilogy), published 1972, page 309:
- A Malay elder crawled on to the veranda, greeted Crabbe with an edentulous "Tabek!" and then crouched in a dark corner, chewing a quid of sireh with hard gums.
- 2000, Patrick J. Stevens et al., chapter 7, in Implant Prosthodontics: Clinical and Laboratory Procedures, →ISBN, page 87:
- Partial edentulism has traditionally been treated with conventional fixed prosthetics when adequate natural tooth abutments are available to support the edentulous span.
Usage notes
- An edentulous animal is one that is missing teeth it normally has. An animal that normally has no teeth, such as an anteater, is edentate.
Derived terms
Translations
toothless — see toothless
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