Dentins

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The hard, dense tissue beneath the enamel of teeth that supports and gives structure
2. A calcified tissue found in teeth, providing strength even under pressure
3. A key component of dental anatomy, acting as a middle layer between the soft pulp and the hard enamel surfaces

Etymology: "Dentins" is simply the plural of "dentin," the hard, bone-like tissue that lies beneath the enamel of a tooth. The singular is the form that carries the history, so the plural adds nothing new beyond the number of tissues being discussed. The name is built from two parts. The first comes from Latin "dens," meaning "tooth," a root that also gave English "dental" and "dentist." The second is the "-in" or "-ine" ending that chemists and scientists have long attached to the names of substances, a suffix that appears in words like "cellulose" and "keratin." Putting the two together gives a name meaning roughly "the tooth substance," and the term reached English through French "dentine," where it was first applied to this material.

Synonyms: dentin