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Glite Dictionary
orthodontist

orthodontist

14 4.9
A dentist who straightens people's teeth and fixes jaw problems
  • noun
  • /ˌɔrθəˈdɑnɪst/
  • Specialized
translation icon : ortodoncista
  • Paul was an orthodontist from Buffalo who wrote novels on the side.

Examples

  • Dr. Spritzer's an orthodontist, and he works with the actresses.

    Anywhere but Here (1999)

  • Hey, my brother's an orthodontist.

    Night and the City (1992)

  • My orthodontist published a paper.

    The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018)

  • If I had a good orthodontist, my life would have been different...

    Fiction book (1994)

  • Her husband, a successful orthodontist, had left her.

    Fiction book (1997)

  • "If not, do please take her to the orthodontist.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • And all of a sudden, she just married an orthodontist.

    Tag (2018)

  • Thank God my dad's an orthodontist.

    Big Mommas: Like Father, Like Son (2011)

  • My wife is very happily remarried to an orthodontist.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • During my appointment, the orthodontist explained the steps for getting my braces adjusted.

How Specialized

orthodontist
  • Specialized
14 4.9
dentist
343 1.0

Surface Forms

orthodontist singular
orthodontists plural

Morphology

orthodontist = orthodontic (semi-transparent) = ortho + odont + ist

The agentive suffix '-ist' clearly forms a person practising orthodontics, so knowing 'orthodontic/orthodontics' makes 'orthodontist' predictable.

Etymology

Orthodontist comes from Greek parts ortho- ('straight') and odont- ('tooth'). So an orthodontist is a specialist who, like a dentist, makes teeth straight and fixes crooked teeth.