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Glite Dictionary
tooth socket

tooth socket

4.2
A hollow in the jaw where a tooth sits
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : alveólo
  • After losing her tooth, she noticed a gap where the tooth socket was no longer visible.

Examples

  • If a tooth socket does not heal properly, it may cause pain or swelling.

  • The dentist examined the tooth socket after the extraction.

  • During surgery, care was taken to avoid damaging the surrounding tooth socket.

  • The dentist examined the tooth socket for signs of infection after the extraction.

  • Each tooth socket holds a single tooth.

  • The dentist examined the tooth socket to ensure it was healing properly after the extraction.

  • The archaeologists discovered a fossilized jawbone with several well-preserved tooth sockets.

Synonyms

socket
vstooth socket
34 6.0

A hollow in a bone where an eye or tooth sits

is limited to the jaw hollow that holds a tooth
alveolus
vstooth socket
  • Specialized
1 9.8

A small bony hole in the jaw that holds a tooth root

is the bony hollow in the jaw where a tooth is set

Surface Forms

tooth socket singular
tooth sockets plural

Morphology

tooth + socket

The meaning is directly compositional: 'tooth' (the tooth) + 'socket' (a hollow where something sits) describes a bony hollow holding a tooth. This follows a common noun–noun compounding pattern found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Tooth socket names the hollow in the jaw where a tooth sits. Think of a plug in an electrical socket: the tooth fits into the hollow, so the term means 'a bony hollow in the jawbone in which a tooth is set'.