canine tooth
2
3.3
- noun
- /ˈkeɪnaɪn tuːθ/
:
diente canino
- During the examination, the dentist pointed out the canine tooth and explained its function for tearing food.
Examples
-
Also, if you don't have canine teeth, it's difficult to rip through and chew raw muscle, but a liver you could just bite right into.
Blog text (2) -
The fossil displayed a well-preserved canine tooth that helped researchers understand the diet of prehistoric animals.
-
And your canine teeth are a little too obvious.
Fiction book (1993) -
The coroner said that the marks found on the bodies... were made by canine teeth.
-
Male baboons have large canine teeth and powerful jaws.
Academic text (1995) -
Most male apes have large canine teeth that are used to fight and intimidate sexual rivals.
Academic text (2010) -
Ardipithecus had small canine teeth that resemble a human's more closely than a chimpanzee's.
Academic text (2010) -
They have four large canine teeth to pierce deeply into prey; behind the canines are sharp cutting teeth.
Blog text (9) -
He smiled grimly; a smile that showed, without a doubt, the ends of very elongated and very sharp canine teeth.
Fiction book (1990) -
The dog used its canine tooth to tear through the tough hide of the animal.
Synonyms
9
3.8
A pointed tooth between the front and back teeth used for tearing food
1
8.3
A pointed tooth between the front teeth and the back teeth used for tearing food
1
8.2
A pointed tooth next to the front teeth used for tearing food
1
6.7
A pointed tooth next to the front teeth in each jaw
A long pointed tooth on each side of the mouth used for tearing food
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'one of the pointed, conical teeth between incisors and premolars' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'canine' (a pointed conical tooth) with 'tooth' (a biting/chewing structure). This is a straightforward noun-noun subtype construction common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE meaning.
Etymology
Canine tooth The name canine tooth comes from an old word for 'dog' because these pointed teeth look like a dog's fang. That's why canine teeth means the long, pointed teeth between the front and back teeth that help 'tear' food.