diastema
[dahy-uh-stee-muh]
- Cell Biology. the modified protoplasm at the equator of a cell, existing before mitotic division.
- Dentistry. a space between two teeth, especially a space between a canine and an incisor of the upper jaw into which a lower canine occludes.
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Origin of diastema
1350–1400; Middle English < Late Latin < Greek: interval, equivalent to diastē, variant stem of diastánai to stand apart + -ma noun suffix denoting the result of action
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for diastema
Historical Examples
Between them and the incisors above, and between the canine and the anterior pre-molar below, occurs a gap (or diastema).
A Hand-book to the Primates, Volume 1 (of 2)Henry O. Forbes
Three specimens lack a diastema and 17 specimens have a diastema.
The teeth are in a continuous series; no diastema or maxillary step is evident.
Two New Pelycosaurs from the Lower Permian of OklahomaRichard C. Fox
The canines were not greatly enlarged, and no diastema separated any of the teeth.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., MammaliaFrank Evers Beddard
The small size of the canine and of the first premolar produces a diastema in the tooth series.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., MammaliaFrank Evers Beddard
diastema
- an abnormal space, fissure, or cleft in a bodily organ or part
- a gap between the teeth
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Word Origin
C19: New Latin, from Greek: gap, from diistanai to separate; see diastasis
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
diastema
(dī′ə-stē′mə)- A fissure or abnormal opening in a part, especially when congenital.
- A gap or space between two adjacent teeth in the same dental arch.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.