Where does “facebow” come from?

facebow (English) comes from English bow, from Middle English bowe, from Old English boga, from Proto-West Germanic bogō, from Proto-Germanic bugô, from Proto-Indo-European bʰugʰ-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰewgʰ- — to bend; curve, arch.

facebow (English): A prosthodontic instrument used to transfer functional and aesthetic components from the patient's mouth to the dental articulator

Definitions

  1. A prosthodontic instrument used to transfer functional and aesthetic components from the patient's mouth to the dental articulator

Ancestry of “facebow”, step by step

facebow traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via English bow

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishbowA weapon made of a curved piece of wood or other...
2Middle Englishbowebow; bowman
3Old Englishbogabow; arch
4Proto-West Germanicbogōarch, bow; bow
5Proto-Germanicbugôbow
6Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰugʰ-bow; arch
7Proto-Indo-Europeanbʰewgʰ-to bend; curve, arch

via English face

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishfaceThe front part of the head of a human or other...
2Middle Englishfaceface; Alternative form of fass
3Old Frenchfaceface
4Late Latinfacia—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰewgʰ- →
facebow — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer