diastema
[ dahy-uh-stee-muh ]
/ ˌdaɪ əˈsti mə /
Save This Word!
noun, plural di·a·ste·ma·ta [dahy-uh-stee-muh-tuh]. /ˌdaɪ əˈsti mə tə/.
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.
QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Did you ever collect all those state quarters? Put them to good use on this quiz about curious state monikers and the facts around them.
Question 1 of 8
Mississippi’s nickname comes from the magnificent trees that grow there. What is it?
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
Words nearby diastema
diastase, diastasis, diastasuria, diastatic, diastem, diastema, diastematocrania, diastematomyelia, diaster, diastereoisomer, diastereomer
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for diastema
British Dictionary definitions for diastema
diastema
/ (ˌdaɪəˈstiːmə) /
noun plural -mata (-mətə)
an abnormal space, fissure, or cleft in a bodily organ or part
a gap between the teeth
Word Origin for diastema
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
Medical definitions for diastema
diastema
[ dī′ə-stē′mə ]
n. pl. di•a•ste•ma•ta (-mə-tə)
A fissure or abnormal opening in a part, especially when congenital.
A gap or space between two adjacent teeth in the same dental arch.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.