Eyetooth

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A pointed tooth located in the upper jaw between the canine and premolar teeth, or the upper canine tooth itself
2. A sharp, conical tooth found in the upper jaw that serves a role as a canine, positioned between the incisors and premolars
3. A long, pointed tooth situated in the upper jaw between the incisors and premolars that functions as a canine

Etymology: The eyetooth is the upper canine, the pointed tooth that sits roughly beneath each eye, and its name says exactly that: it is simply "eye" joined to "tooth," a description of where the tooth lies rather than of anything it does. The compound is plain English built from two ancient Germanic words, with no borrowing from Latin or Greek involved. The point of the name is the anatomy. Because the upper canines sit high in the jaw, close to the orbit of the eye, English speakers picked the nearest landmark to label them. The word is a compound in the most transparent sense, and its meaning has stayed put for centuries.

Synonyms: canine, fang, tusk, tooth, incisor