Buckteeth

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Protruding upper front teeth that stick out noticeably beyond the lips when the mouth is closed
2. A set of upper incisors that jut forward from the line of the other teeth, giving the face a prominent look
3. Front teeth on the upper jaw that project outward, often a dental trait noticed in a person's smile or profile

Etymology: "Buckteeth" is the plural of "bucktooth," a prominent front tooth that sticks out from the mouth. The first half, "buck," is the same word used for the male of certain animals such as deer, goats and rabbits, and it is often linked with the sense of a bold, forward-thrusting male, which suits a tooth that juts out. The second half is the ordinary word "tooth," so the compound is a plain, descriptive pairing rather than a borrowing from another language. The exact reason the animal name was chosen to describe the teeth is not recorded, so the link to male animals remains a plausible guess rather than a documented fact. What is clear is that the word is built wholly from native English materials, and its meaning stays close to its literal parts: a tooth that projects like the teeth of a buck.

Synonyms: bucktooth