heterodont
/ˈhɛtəɹəʊdɒnt/ · adj
Meaning
- Having teeth of different types (like most mammals).
- Of bivalves or their hinge teeth: having two to three wedge-shaped cardinal teeth set in the centre near the umbones, generally also with elongated lateral teeth on the anterior and posterior margins.
- A heterodont animal.
- A heterodont bivalve.
- A snake of the genus Heterodon which is native to North America.
Etymology / origin
From hetero- (prefix meaning ‘different’) + -odont (suffix meaning ‘tooth; toothed’). Hetero- is derived from Ancient Greek ἕτερος (héteros, “one or the other of two; different”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“together; one”); while -odont is from Ancient Greek ὀδούς (odoús, “tooth; tusk”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- (“to bite”) + *-ónts (suffix forming nouns denoting body parts). By surface analysis, hetero- + -odont.
- *h₃ed-(ine-pro)→
- ὀδούς(Ancient Greek)→
- *sem-(ine-pro)→
- ἕτερος(Ancient Greek)→
- heterodont (English)
- Relations: der, der, der, der
Related words
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