dental

Where does the word "dental" come from? It comes from Latin dēns, passing through Medieval Latin before entering English (1590s).

Dental’s story begins in Latin: dēns meant “tooth.” A tooth, the root of 'dentist' and 'indent', to cut a notch like a tooth. By medieval, the word had taken hold in Medieval Latin as dentalis. Relating to teeth. It reached English by 1590s as dental. 'dentist' came from French in the 1700s; Pierre Fauchard of Paris, who published 'The Surgeon Dentist' in 1728, is called the father of modern dentistry. Today, dental means relating to the teeth.

1. Stage 1 · Latin · ancient dēns "tooth", a tooth, the root of 'dentist' and 'indent', to cut a notch like a tooth.
2. Stage 2 · Medieval Latin · medieval dentalis "of teeth", relating to teeth.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1590s dental "relating to teeth", 'dentist' came from French in the 1700s; Pierre Fauchard of Paris, who published 'The Surgeon Dentist' in 1728, is called the father of modern dentistry.