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dentition

[den-tish-uh n]
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noun
  1. the makeup of a set of teeth including their kind, number, and arrangement.
  2. the eruption or cutting of the teeth; teething; odontiasis.
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Origin of dentition

1605–15; < Latin dentītiōn- (stem of dentītiō), equivalent to dentīt(us) (past participle of dentīre to cut teeth, teethe) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

bridgework, ivories, dentition

Examples from the Web for dentition

Historical Examples

  • It seems to lie between the ape and the human type of dentition.

    Man And His Ancestor

    Charles Morris

  • Here is a form of chart for keeping a record of the dentition.

    Pedagogical Anthropology

    Maria Montessori

  • The dentition is heterodont in a few reptiles and the majority of mammals.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton

    Sidney H. Reynolds

  • The Ruminantia or Pecora are very uniform as regards their dentition.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton

    Sidney H. Reynolds

  • The Civets and Hyaenas have a dentition allying them closely to the cats.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton

    Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for dentition

dentition

noun
  1. the arrangement, type, and number of the teeth in a particular species. Man has a primary dentition of deciduous teeth and a secondary dentition of permanent teeth
  2. teething or the time or process of teething
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Word Origin

C17: from Latin dentītiō a teething
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dentition

n.

1610s, "teething, the cutting of teeth," from Latin dentitionem (nominative dentitio) "teething," noun of action from past participle stem of dentire "to cut the teeth," from dentem (nominative dens) "tooth" (see tooth). Meaning "arrangement of teeth" is from 1849.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
dentition in Medicine

dentition

(dĕn-tĭsh′ən)
n.
  1. The natural teeth, considered collectively, in the dental arch.
  2. The type, number, and arrangement of a set of teeth.
  3. The process of growing new teeth; teething.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
dentition in Science

dentition

[dĕn-tĭsh′ən]
  1. The type, number, and arrangement of teeth in an animal species. In mammals, dentition consists of several different types of teeth, including incisors, canines, and molars. The dentition of toothed fish and reptiles usually consists of only one kind of tooth.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.