tooth (English)

Where does "tooth" come from?

The word "tooth" traces back to the Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to bite," where it originated as a descriptive term for the part of the body that performs that action. It evolved through Proto-Germanic as "tanþs" before entering Old English as "tōþ," a form that saw the loss of the "n" sound in favor of a longer vowel. Over centuries, it transitioned through Middle English to its modern form, remaining a close relative of words like "tine," "tusk," and the Latin-derived "dentist."

Full etymology tree

• tooth (English), 'A hard, calcareous structure present in the mouth of many vertebrate animals, generally used for biting and chewing food.'
  • inherited from tooth (Middle English), 'alternative form of toth'
    • inherited from tōþ (Old English), 'tooth'
      • inherited from *tanþ (Proto-West Germanic), 'tooth'
        • inherited from *tanþs (Proto-Germanic), 'tooth'
          • inherited from *h₃dónts (Proto-Indo-European), 'tooth'
            • from root *h₃ed- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to smell, stink'
            • suffix *-ónts (Proto-Indo-European), 'Derives nouns denoting body parts.'

Direct ancestors

• tothe (Middle English)
• toþ (Old English)
• tanþ (Proto-West Germanic)
• tanþs (Proto-Germanic)
• h₃dónts (Proto-Indo-European)
• dent (English)
• dens (English)
• tind (English)

Updated March 2026

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris