dentition

American

[den-tish-uhn] / dɛnˈtɪʃ ən /

noun

the makeup of a set of teeth including their kind, number, and arrangement.
the eruption or cutting of the teeth; teething; odontiasis.

dentition British

/ dɛnˈtɪʃən /

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

"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

dentition Scientific

/ 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.

Etymology

Origin of dentition

1605–15; < Latin dentītiōn- (stem of dentītiō), equivalent to dentīt ( us ) (past participle of dentīre to cut teeth, teethe) + -iōn- -ion

Vocabulary lists containing dentition

Body Language: Dent, Dont ("Tooth")

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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.

See Examples For:

dentition

Pondering extraterrestrial dentition is just one of the byproducts of working on the series for more than five years.

From Salon ● Jul. 21, 2025

Using the novel technique, the research team tried to determine the closest fit of the teeth's appearance to other dinosaurs with well-known dentition.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 12, 2024

The fossil dolphin’s dentition was unlike anything seen in living cetaceans.

From New York Times ● Jun. 13, 2023

Corpus Christi A young man recently released from dentition passes himself off as a parish priest in a small village in this Academy Award-nominated drama.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 23, 2020

Skull: Small and not heavily ridged; zygomatic arches widely spreading but weak; zygomatic arches nearly parallel; tympanic bullae moderately inflated ventrally; palate not arched; interpterygoid space U-shaped; dentition light.

From The Pocket Gophers (Genus Thomomys) of Utah, Vol. 1 No. 1 Kansas University Publications. by Stephen D. Durrant

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023