Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “denture” come from?

Denture comes from French denture, from Latin dens meaning tooth, from Proto-Indo-European h₃dónts, ultimately from the root h₁ed- meaning to eat.

denture (English): a set of teeth, the teeth viewed as a unit; an...

Definitions

  1. a set of teeth, the teeth viewed as a unit; an...

Ancestry of “denture”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchdentureset of teeth
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 “denture”

  • overdenture
  • denturist
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- →