teeth

English

Etymology

From Middle English teth, plural of tothe, from Old English tēþ, nominative plural of tōþ, from earlier *tœ̄þ, from Proto-Germanic *tanþiz, nominative plural of *tanþs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dóntes, nominative plural of *h₃dónts.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈtiːθ/
  • (th-fronting) IPA^(key): /ˈtiːf/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈtiθ/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːθ

Noun

teeth

1. plural of tooth

   Synonyms: chompers, Hampstead Heath, pearly whites, (diminutive) teefies

Noun

teeth pl (plural only)

1. (informal) The ability to be enforced, or to be enforced to any useful effect.

   Synonym: enforceability

   The international community's sanctions against the regime had some teeth to them this time around.

Derived terms

• arm to the teeth
• bare one's teeth
• better than a kick in the teeth
• bit between one's teeth
• bone in her teeth
• British teeth
• brush one's teeth
• by God's teeth
• by the skin of one's teeth
• cast in someone's teeth
• cast something in someone's teeth
• cut one's teeth
• dragon's teeth
• elephant's teeth
• false teeth
• fed up to the back teeth
• fed up to the teeth
• front teeth
• get one's teeth into
• give one's eye-teeth
• gnash one's teeth
• God's teeth
• grit one's teeth
• hell's teeth
• in spite of someone's teeth
• in the teeth of
• kick in the teeth
• kiss one's teeth
• lie through one's teeth
• make someone's teeth itch
• my back teeth are floating
• my teeth are floating
• no skin off one's teeth
• one's teeth water
• pull teeth
• rare as hen's teeth
• rarer than hen's teeth
• rarer than hens' teeth
• scarce as hen's teeth
• set one's teeth on edge
• set someone's teeth on edge
• show one's teeth
• sick to the back teeth
• sink one's teeth in
• sink one's teeth into
• skin of the teeth
• sow dragon's teeth
• suck one's teeth
• summerteeth
• summer teeth
• teefies
• teeth arm
• teeth-baring
• teeth-less
• teeth mark
• teeth-to-tail ratio
• the wolf may lose his teeth but never his nature
• throw something in someone's teeth
• Turkey teeth
• weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth
• with the skin of one's teeth

 

Verb

teeth (third-person singular simple present teeths, present participle teething, simple past and past participle teethed)

1. Dated spelling of teethe (“to grow teeth”).
   • 1943, Herman Niels Bundesen, Our Babies, page 81:

     Thus, a mother should not think that there is something wrong just because her baby teeths, crawls, walks, or talks earlier or later than her neighbor's baby.

See also

• toothless