egg tooth
noun
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.
Origin of egg tooth
First recorded in 1890–95
Words nearby egg tooth
egg sac,
egg slice,
egg spoon,
egg stone,
egg timer,
egg tooth,
egg white,
egg-and-spoon race,
egg-binding,
egg-bound,
egg-shaped
Example sentences from the Web for egg tooth
Traces of the egg-tooth were retained until the ninth day in two owls and until the 11th day in another.
The Postnatal Development of Two Broods of Great Horned Owls |Donald F. HoffmeisterIn owl IV, the egg-tooth was lost sometime between the 9th and 14th day.
The Postnatal Development of Two Broods of Great Horned Owls |Donald F. Hoffmeister
British Dictionary definitions for egg tooth
egg tooth
noun
(in embryo birds and reptiles) a temporary tooth or (in birds) projection of the beak used for piercing the eggshell
Scientific definitions for egg tooth
egg tooth
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.