tooth

[ tooth ]
/ tuθ /

noun, plural teeth.

verb (used with object), toothed [tootht, toothd] /tuθt, tuðd/, tooth·ing [too-thing, -thing] /ˈtu θɪŋ, -ðɪŋ/.

to furnish with teeth.
to cut teeth upon.

verb (used without object), toothed [tootht, toothd] /tuθt, tuðd/, tooth·ing [too-thing, -thing] /ˈtu θɪŋ, -ðɪŋ/.

to interlock, as cogwheels.

Idioms for tooth

Origin of tooth

before 900; Middle English; Old English tōth; cognate with Dutch tand, German Zahn, Old Norse tǫnn; akin to Gothic tunthus, Latin dēns, Greek odoús (Ionic odṓn), Sanskrit dánta

SYNONYMS FOR tooth

OTHER WORDS FROM tooth

tooth·like, adjective

British Dictionary definitions for in the teeth of

tooth
/ (tuːθ) /

noun plural teeth (tiːθ)

verb (tuːð, tuːθ)

(tr) to provide with a tooth or teeth
(intr) (of two gearwheels) to engage

Derived forms of tooth

toothless, adjective toothlike, adjective

Word Origin for tooth

Old English tōth; related to Old Saxon tand, Old High German zand, Old Norse tonn, Gothic tunthus, Latin dens

Medical definitions for in the teeth of

tooth
[ tōōth ]

n. pl. teeth (tēth)

One of a set of hard, bonelike structures rooted in sockets in the jaws of vertebrates, typically composed of a core of soft pulp surrounded by a layer of hard dentin that is coated with cement or enamel at the crown and used chiefly for biting or chewing food or as a means of attack or defense.

Scientific definitions for in the teeth of

tooth
[ tōōth ]

Plural teeth (tēth)

Any of the hard bony structures in the mouth used to grasp and chew food and as weapons of attack and defense. In mammals and many other vertebrates, the teeth are set in sockets in the jaw. In fish and amphibians, they grow in and around the palate. See also dentition.
A similar structure in certain invertebrate animals.

Cultural definitions for in the teeth of

tooth

A hard structure, embedded in the jaws of the mouth, that functions in chewing. The tooth consists of a crown, covered with hard white enamel; a root, which anchors the tooth to the jawbone; and a “neck” between the crown and the root, covered by the gum. Most of the tooth is made up of dentin, which is located directly below the enamel. The soft interior of the tooth, the pulp, contains nerves and blood vessels. Humans have molars for grinding food, incisors for cutting, and canines and bicuspids for tearing.

Idioms and Phrases with in the teeth of (1 of 2)

in the teeth of

1

Straight into, confronting, as in The ship was headed in the teeth of the gale. [Late 1200s]

2

In opposition to or defiance of, as in She stuck to her position in the teeth of criticism by the board members. [Late 1700s] Also see fly in the face of.

3

Facing danger or threats, as in The tribe was in the teeth of starvation. [Early 1800s]

Idioms and Phrases with in the teeth of (2 of 2)

tooth