Meaning

2 senses

  1. (slang, uncountable, vulgar)Unpleasant oral sex

    She gives straight teeth.

  2. (informal, plural, plural only)The ability to be enforced, or to be enforced to any useful effect.

    The international community's sanctions against the regime had some teeth to them this time around.

More definitions
  • the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal

Origin

From Middle English teth, plural of tothe, from Old English tēþ, nominative plural of tōþ,

From Middle English teth, plural of tothe, from Old English tēþ, nominative plural of tōþ, from earlier *tœ̄þ, from Proto-Germanic *tanþiz, nominative plural of *tanþs, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dóntes, nominative plural of *h₃dónts.

Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source

Synonyms

2 synonyms
enforceability
Close in meaning
  • the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal:dentition

Word family

21 related words
Deriveddevil's teethdragon's teethelephant's teethfalse teethfront teethhell's teethpermanent teethpull teethsummerteethteethacheteeth armteeth-baringteethfulteethiesteethlessteethliketeethlyteethmarkteethridgeteeth-to-tail ratioteethy

Lessons for this word

1 lessons

See also

neighbours in the dictionary
teenyteepeeteeterteetheteetotalerteetotallertelecom
teeth — meaning, examples, forms, synonyms | Krumeto