selenodont

[ si-lee-nuh-dont ]

/ sɪˈli nəˌdɒnt /

adjective

having molar teeth with crowns formed of crescent-shaped cusps.

Nearby words

selenium cell, selenium rectifier, seleno-, selenocentric, selenodesy, selenodont, selenographer, selenography, selenology, selenomorphology, selenotropism

Origin of selenodont

First recorded in 1880–85; selen(o)- + -odont

Related formsse·le·no·don·ty, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for selenodont

The molars are selenodont; but as in the Tragulidae the premolars are more of the nature of cutting teeth.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
The type genus Xiphodon has selenodont molars and elongated, slender, cutting premolars.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
While the molars have the selenodont character of other Pecora, the premolars are more adapted for cutting, with sharp edges.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
It has, however, been shown that selenodont teeth always pass through an embryonic bunodont stage.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

The premolars are simple teeth; the molars distinctly bunodont with a tendency in one or two to the selenodont condition.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard

British Dictionary definitions for selenodont

selenodont

/ (sɪˈliːnəˌdɒnt) /

adjective

(of the teeth of certain mammals) having crescent-shaped ridges on the crowns, as in deer

noun

a mammal with selenodont teeth

Word Origin for selenodont

C19: from seleno- (moon-shaped) + -odont

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