Dentates

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Having a margin or edge with tooth-like notches or projections
2. Characterized by a jagged outline resembling a row of small teeth
3. Featuring a notched or serrated edge similar to the teeth of a saw

Etymology: "Dentates" is the plural of "dentate," used as a noun in anatomy for structures with a toothed or notched edge, such as the dentate nuclei of the cerebellum in the brain. The base form comes from Latin "dentatus," meaning "toothed," which is built from "dens" (genitive "dentis"), "tooth." English took the adjective from Latin and used it in botany and zoology for leaves and other parts with toothlike margins. Its anatomical noun use came later, when anatomists applied the term to the notched grey-matter masses in the brain.