teeth
UK /ˈtiːθ/ · US /ˈtiθ/ noun, verb
Forms teeths teething teethed
- noun (slang, vulgar, uncountable) Unpleasant oral sex “She gives straight teeth.”
- noun (informal) The ability to be enforced, or to be enforced to any useful effect. “The international community's sanctions against the regime had some teeth to them this time around.”
- verb Dated spelling of teethe (“to grow teeth”).
Synonyms
chompers Hampstead Heath pearly whites teefies enforceability dentition
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.
Webster’s 1913
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “teeth”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details