dentition

[den-tish-uh n]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dentition ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the makeup of a set of teeth including their kind, number, and arrangement.

the eruption or cutting of the teeth; teething; odontiasis.

RELATED WORDS

fangs, bridgework, ivories

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for dentition

Finally, Hoplophoneus has acquired the dentition of existing Cats.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
No child ever lost a tooth of the second set; and, indeed, the second dentition seemed often to cure the complaint.
North American Medical and Surgical Journal, Vol. 2, No. 3, July, 1826|Various
Badgers belong to the same division of Carnivora as Bears, but differ from them, not only in size, but in dentition.
Anecdotes of the Habits and Instinct of Animals|R. Lee
The dentition is essentially carnivorous, but varies considerably in the different families, and even in the Phocidæ themselves.
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon|Robert A. Sterndale

With dentition comes another mode of eating, and sucking is no more serviceable.
The Mind and Its Education|George Herbert Betts

British Dictionary definitions for dentition

dentition

noun

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

teething or the time or process of teething

Word Origin for dentition

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

dentition

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.

Medicine definitions for dentition

dentition

[dĕn-tĭsh′ən]

n.

The natural teeth, considered collectively, in the dental arch.

The type, number, and arrangement of a set of teeth.

The process of growing new teeth; teething.

Science definitions for dentition

dentition

[dĕn-tĭsh′ən]

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.