Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
tooth-drawer

tooth-drawer

9.9
A tool for pulling out teeth used in old dental care
  • noun
  • /ˈtuːθˌdrɔːər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : extractor de dientes
  • The dentist used a tooth-drawer to remove the decayed tooth.

Examples

  • The antique tooth-drawer on display gave insight into early dental practices.

  • In the 18th century, a tooth-drawer was often part of a barber's equipment.

  • He examined the tooth-drawer before using it on the patient.

  • In the past, a tooth-drawer was often a barber-surgeon.

  • The dentist used the tooth-drawer to safely extract the patient's problematic molar.

  • In the 18th century, a skilled tooth-drawer was essential for performing extractions in towns.

  • Patients would trust the tooth-drawer for their dental extractions during the early years of dentistry.

Surface Forms

tooth-drawer singular
tooth-drawers plural

Morphology

tooth-drawer = tooth + draw (semi-transparent) = tooth + draw + er

The meaning ('one who draws/extracts teeth') is analyzable from 'tooth' + 'draw' + agentive '-er', but the agentive use and the fact that 'drawer' is more commonly known as furniture make it somewhat specialized and potentially misleading for learners.

Etymology

The word tooth-drawer is made of tooth and drawer, where drawer comes from draw, meaning 'to pull'. So a tooth-drawer was a tool or person for 'pulling' teeth, which is why the name fits old dental instruments used to extract teeth.