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edentate

edentate

9.9
Having few or no teeth
  • adjective
  • /ˌiːdɛnˈteɪt/
  • Specialized
translation icon : edentado
  • Some elderly animals become edentate as they age, losing most of their teeth.

Examples

  • Researchers studied the feeding habits of edentate creatures in the wild.

  • The anteater is an edentate mammal, feeding primarily on ants and termites.

  • The old dog is quite edentate now.

  • Some species of sloths are edentate animals.

  • As animals grow older, they often become edentate, which means they have lost most of their teeth.

  • The edentate condition of the tortoise made it difficult for it to eat its regular diet.

  • In some species, being edentate allows them to adapt to specific feeding strategies that do not require teeth.

Synonyms

toothless
vsedentate
13 2.4

Having no teeth in the mouth

can mean few or none rather than strictly none
edental
vsedentate
  • Specialized
9.9

Having few or no teeth

is used more widely and not limited to animals
edentulate
vsedentate
  • Specialized
9.9

Having few or no teeth

covers the same lack but is not limited to natural characteristics
edentulous
vsedentate
  • Specialized
9.9

Having no natural teeth and often wearing false teeth

describes the same state but not necessarily from loss or illness
untoothed
vsedentate
7.2

Having a smooth edge with no small sharp points

refers to lack of mouth teeth rather than smooth edges

Antonyms

1 3.7

Having teeth in the mouth for biting and chewing

How Toothless

edentulous
  • Specialized
9.9
edentate
  • Specialized
9.9
gap-toothed
3 6.9
dentate
  • Specialized
9.4

Surface Forms

edentate positive
edentater comparative
edentatest superlative

Morphology

edentate = dentate (semi-transparent) = e + dent + ate

The meaning is built from a learned negative prefix plus the adjective 'dentate', but the Latin-based formation is not very accessible to an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Edentate comes from Latin parts e- meaning 'without' and dent meaning 'tooth', the same root you see in dentist and dental, so edentate means 'without teeth' or having very few teeth.