ząb (Polish)
Where does "ząb" come from?
The Polish word 'ząb' derives from the Proto-Slavic *zǫ̑bъ, which referred to the hard structures used for biting. This term was inherited through Old Polish and has remained a stable and foundational part of the language for centuries to describe both human teeth and tooth-like imitations.
Full etymology tree
- ząb (Polish), 'tooth (hard, calcareous structure present in the mouth of many vertebrate animals, generally used for biting and chewing food)'
- inherited ząb (Old Polish), 'tooth (hard, calcareous structure present in the mouth of many vertebrate animals, generally used for biting and chewing food)'
- inherited *zǫ̑bъ (Proto-Slavic)
- inherited ząb (Old Polish), 'tooth (hard, calcareous structure present in the mouth of many vertebrate animals, generally used for biting and chewing food)'
Ancestors
- ząb (Old Polish)
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris