Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “teeth” come from?

Teeth comes from Middle English teth, from Old English tēþ and tōþ, from Proto-Germanic tanþs, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European h₃dónts, derived from the root h₁ed-.

teeth (English): plural of tooth; API pl; The ability to be...

Definitions

  1. plural of tooth; API pl; The ability to be...

Ancestry of “teeth”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishtethplural of tothe
2Old Englishtēþ—
3Proto-Germanictanþiz—
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃dóntes—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₃dóntstooth
6Proto-Indo-Europeanh₁ed-to eat

Words derived from “teeth”

  • teethlike
  • teethly
  • tis
  • tit
  • tit
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₁ed- →