egg tooth

noun

1. a calcareous prominence at the tip of the beak or upper jaw of an embryonic bird or reptile, used to break through the eggshell at hatching.

egg tooth

noun

1. (in embryo birds and reptiles) a temporary tooth or (in birds) projection of the beak used for piercing the eggshell

egg tooth

1. A hard, toothlike projection from the beak of embryonic birds, or from the upper jaw of embryonic reptiles, that is used to cut the egg membrane and shell upon hatching and that later falls off.

Word History and Origins

Origin of egg tooth¹

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

The baby lacked an egg tooth — the hard part of the beak used to crack the shell — and was struggling to get out.

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After examining the "amazing specimen," researchers now suspect these giant dinosaurs, which reached up to nearly 40 feet in length and weighed 29,000 pounds, used the horns to break out of their eggs, akin to an "egg tooth."

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Just before its first breath, the eaglet chick develops an egg tooth, a small, hard calcium spike on top of the bill.

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A sharp egg tooth on the top of its beak pierced the inner membrane, and its nostrils pushed into the pocket of air at the top of the egg.

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After struggling another day, the first chick cut a larger hole and thrust her beak and egg tooth into the air.

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