What does dogteeth mean?
Dogteeth is the plural of dogtooth and refers most commonly to canine teeth: the four long, pointed teeth that sit between the incisors and premolars in humans and many other mammals, used for gripping and tearing food. The word combines "dog" with "tooth" and carries a slightly rustic, informal flavour; dentists and anatomists normally say "canines," "cuspid teeth," or "eye teeth," while hunters and naturalists may well speak of a wolf's or fox's dogteeth. In Gothic architecture, dogtooth (or dogteeth in the plural) names a distinctive decorative moulding of repeated pointed shapes, common on English cathedrals of the thirteenth century. The term can also appear in botany, where the dogtooth violet is a spring-flowering North American plant. Though narrow in scope, dogteeth is vivid and concrete, evoking both animal anatomy and medieval craftsmanship.
Plural of dogtooth: a canine tooth; one of the pointed teeth used for tearing food.
"The tiger's impressive dogteeth were clearly visible when it yawned."
Informal; "canine teeth" is preferred in technical contexts.
In Gothic architecture, a series of small pointed ornaments resembling teeth, worked into a moulding.
"The west doorway was framed by rows of carved dogteeth."
The word itself is plural; the singular is "dogtooth."
"Each dogtooth in the carving had been worn smooth by centuries of weather."
In Gothic buildings, the 'dogtooth' is a carved ornament that has nothing to do with dogs at all — it just looks like a row of sharp little fangs.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of dogteeth
The word is a straightforward English compound of "dog" and "tooth," formed within Middle English usage to describe the pointed teeth that resemble a dog's fangs. The element "tooth" goes back to Old English "tōth," from Proto-Germanic *tanthuz, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dont-, which also produced Latin "dens" (whence "dental," "dentist," and "trident") and Greek "odous" (as in "mastodon"). The architectural sense arose later, from the ornament's resemblance to a row of pointed teeth.
Related word forms
How dogteeth is actually used
"Dogteeth" is simply the plural of "dogtooth" and is informal in the dental sense, where "canines" or "canine teeth" is more common in clinical contexts. The architectural sense usually appears as the singular attributive form "dogtooth" (e.g., dogtooth ornament).
Easily confused with dogteeth
"Dogteeth" are pointed teeth or architectural ornaments, while dogwood is a flowering tree or shrub.