Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “dentate” come from?

Dentate comes from Latin dentatus, derived from Latin dens, which traces to Proto-Indo-European h₃dónts, ultimately from the root h₁ed- meaning to eat.

dentate (English): Having teeth or toothlike projections; serrated,...

Definitions

  1. Having teeth or toothlike projections; serrated,...

Ancestry of “dentate”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1LatinDentatus—
2Latindēns—
3Italiandentetooth; cog, prong
4Latindenstooth; a spike, prong, or any tooth-like...
5Proto-Italicdentstooth
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃dóntstooth
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ed-to eat

Words derived from “dentate”

  • bidentate
  • monodentate
  • tridentate
  • tetradentate
  • polydentate
  • multidentate
  • hexadentate
  • unidentate
  • pentadentate
  • quadridentate
  • octadentate
  • tubulidentate
  • predentate
  • quinquedentate
  • dentately
  • octodentate
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- →