dentifrice
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of dentifrice
First recorded in 1450–1500; from Middle French, from Latin dentifricium “tooth powder, tooth paste,” equivalent to denti- denti- + fric(āre) “to rub” + -ium -ium
Explanation
Dentifrice is a fancy word for the stuff you put on your toothbrush to clean your teeth — in other words, dentifrice is toothpaste. In the 15th century, the equivalent word was dentifricie, and it meant "substance used for cleaning the teeth," from the Latin dentifricium, "powder for rubbing the teeth." The roots are dentis, "tooth," and fricare, "to rub," and that describes exactly how to use dentifrice. Your preferred form of dentifrice may be mint-flavored toothpaste, but many people use tooth powder instead, on a finger or a toothbrush.
Vocabulary lists containing dentifrice
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The $80 million U.S. dentifrice industry was as fidgety last week as a colony of Lactobacillus acidophilus milling around in a test tube.
From Time Magazine Archive
But who does not use a "dentifrice" instead?
From Time Magazine Archive
They offer nothing more than a two-hour supply of mouth froth, a dentifrice rather than a drama.
From Time Magazine Archive
A dentifrice should provide only the necessary cleaning qualities to remove the sticky coating from the teeth without injuring the enamel.
From Time Magazine Archive
Therefore the frequent use of oranges as a dentifrice is a habit of great value.
From Vitality Supreme by Macfadden, Bernarr
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
