edentulous

adjective

eden·​tu·​lous (ˌ)ē-ˈden-chə-ləs 

: toothless

Did you know?

Edentulous comes to English directly from the Latin word edentulus, which in turn comes from the Latin prefix e-, meaning "missing" or "absent," and the Latin root dent-, meaning "tooth." This root is at work in many familiar English words that relate to teeth, including "dental," "dentist," and "denture." It is also found in "edentate," a less common word that functions as a noun referring to an order of mammals with few or no teeth (e.g. sloths and armadillos), and as an adjective describing such mammals. "Edentate" is also sometimes used as a synonym of "edentulous."

Examples of edentulous in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Results were strongest when students were proposed to be linked to the edentulous individual in a personal way, i.e., dating or living as neighbor. —Ncbi Rofl, Discover Magazine, 16 Sep. 2011

Word History

Etymology

Latin edentulus, from e- + dent-, dens

First Known Use

1782, in the meaning defined above

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Medical Definition

edentulous

adjective

eden·​tu·​lous (ˈ)ē-ˈden-chə-ləs 

: toothless