edentulous
English
WOTD – 18 November 2008
Etymology
Latin edentulus, which is in turn derived from the prefix e-, meaning "without", and the word dens, meaning "tooth."
Pronunciation
- (UK) IPA(key): /iːˈdɛnt.jʊ.ləs/
- (US) IPA(key): /iˈdɛnt.jʊ.ləs/, /iˈdɛn.tʃʊ.ləs/
Audio (US) (file)
Adjective
edentulous (not comparable)
- (sciences) Toothless
- 2000, Patrick J. Stevens et al., chapter 7, in Implant Prosthodontics: Clinical and Laboratory Procedures, →ISBN, page 87:
- Partial edentulism has traditionally been treated with conventional fixed prosthetics when adequate natural tooth abutments are available to support the edentulous span.
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Usage notes
- An edentulous animal is one that is missing teeth it normally has. An animal that normally has no teeth, such as an anteater, is edentate.
Antonyms
- dentulous
Derived terms
- edentulousness
- semiedentulous
Translations
toothless — see toothless