Dentinal

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to or characteristic of the dense, bony tissue forming the bulk beneath the enamel of a tooth; describing material similar in composition to this inner layer; pertaining to the structure or properties of dentin inside teeth
2. Connected with the hard, calcified tissue beneath the outer enamel covering of a tooth; referring to components or features involving the bulk tooth substance; concerning the anatomical layer known as dentin found within teeth
3. Having to do with the inner, mineralized tissue of teeth that lies beneath the enamel and surrounds the pulp; relating to the material called dentin that makes up the major portion of a tooth; descriptive of the tooth structure beneath the surface enamel layer

Etymology: "Dentinal" is a plain formation: the noun "dentin" (or its variant "dentine") with the adjective-forming suffix "-al," meaning "relating to" or "characteristic of." The base noun is the tooth tissue itself, the hard layer lying beneath the enamel, and the suffix simply converts that noun into a description of anything that belongs to it or resembles it. The noun "dentin" was built from the Latin "dens," meaning "tooth," with the chemical-style ending "-in" added in the 19th century to name a substance. "Dentine" is the older spelling of the same word, and both forms can take "-al," so the adjective inherits the Latin root for "tooth" through the noun. The word therefore works like other scientific terms in English that combine a classical root with a standard suffix, and it reflects the modern anatomical vocabulary used to describe the parts of teeth.

Synonyms: dental, tooth-related, odontic