tooth

Where does the word "tooth" come from? It comes from Proto-Germanic tanþs, passing through Old English before entering English (1500s).

Tooth’s story begins in Proto-Germanic: tanþs meant “tooth.” Cognate with Latin 'dēns, dentis', as in 'dentist', perhaps meaning 'the eating one'. By 700s-1000s, the word had taken hold in Old English as tōþ. The 'n' dropped out, as in 'goose'; the plural 'tēþ' gave 'teeth'. It reached English by 1500s as tooth. 'long in the tooth', old, refers to horses' gums receding with age. Today, tooth means one of the hard white structures in the mouth used for biting.

1. Stage 1 · Proto-Germanic · ancient tanþs "tooth", cognate with Latin 'dēns, dentis', as in 'dentist', perhaps meaning 'the eating one'.
2. Stage 2 · Old English · 700s-1000s tōþ "tooth", the 'n' dropped out, as in 'goose'; the plural 'tēþ' gave 'teeth'.
3. Stage 3 · English · 1500s tooth "tooth", 'long in the tooth', old, refers to horses' gums receding with age.