Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
toothpowder

toothpowder

5.6
A powder used to clean teeth instead of toothpaste
  • noun
  • /ˈtuːθˌpaʊdər/
  • Archaic
translation icon : polvo dental
  • She always uses toothpowder for a fresher smile instead of regular toothpaste.

Examples

  • You forgot my toothpowder.

    The Last Emperor (1987)

  • The watchman's toothpowder and soap are under the bathroom washbasin.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • "Julian thought of the girl's earring and the strand of her hair, which he had wrapped in paper and buried in a container of toothpowder in his dressing case.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • During her trip, she packed a small container of toothpowder to keep her teeth clean.

  • Many people prefer toothpowder because it is made from natural ingredients.

Synonyms

toothpaste
vstoothpowder
100 1.0

A thick soft paste you put on a toothbrush to clean teeth

is powdered instead of being a thick paste used with a brush
tooth powder
vstoothpowder
  • Archaic
1 3.3

A powder used to clean teeth instead of toothpaste

is the same but written as a single concatenated word
dentifrice
vstoothpowder
  • Specialized
1 9.2

A paste or powder used to clean the teeth

is only the powdered cleaning form rather than paste

Surface Forms

toothpowder singular
toothpowders plural

Morphology

toothpowder = tooth + powder (transparent) = tooth + powder

A straightforward compound of two common nouns; the meaning is directly inferred as a powdered substance for teeth.

Etymology

Toothpowder comes from putting together tooth and powder, so it simply means 'powder for the teeth'. That's why the word still refers to a powdered substance you use to clean your teeth instead of toothpaste.