Dentinous

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Characterized by the presence or nature of dentin in teeth ; pertaining to or resembling the hard, dense, bony tissue forming the bulk beneath tooth enamel ; describing structures or material related to or derived from dental tissue composing the inner part of a tooth
2. Relating to the dense calcified tissue beneath the enamel of a tooth ; having qualities or properties associated with dentin ; indicative of the material constituting the main mass of teeth under the outer layer
3. Referring to tissue forming the thick layer under tooth enamel ; showing attributes typical of dentin ; associated with or resembling the substance that creates the core of teeth beneath the surface enamel

Etymology: The core of the adjective is the Latin "dens," meaning tooth. Anatomists took that root and added the "-in" suffix used for naming substances, producing "dentin," the hard tissue beneath enamel. English then added "-ous," a common adjective ending meaning "having the qualities of," to create "dentinous." Because "dentinous" is built from a technical noun rather than a everyday word, it is a specialist term used mainly in dentistry and anatomy. Its meaning follows the noun closely: something dentinous has the composition, appearance, or structure of dentin. The word is therefore a precise descriptor rather than one that has shifted in sense over time.

Synonyms: dental, toothlike