diastema

[ dahy-uh-stee-muh ]

/ ˌdaɪ əˈsti mə /

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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.

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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

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. 2022

How to use diastema in a sentence

There is always a long diastema separating the incisors from the grinding teeth.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The crowns of all the teeth are equal in height, and there is no diastema—an arrangement found in no living mammal but man.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The diastema in front of the premolars is longer in the living Equidae than in their extinct allies.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
In all the others there is a gap or diastema of larger or smaller size between the incisors and canines.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

The incisors always have chisel-like edges and persistent pulps, and are separated by a wide diastema from the premolars.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

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.