dentistry

Etymology

It is formed from English dentist + -ry.^[2][3][4] Dentist is from French dentiste, from dent (“tooth”),^[2][3][5] from Latin dēns (“tooth”),^[3][5] from Proto-Indo-European *dent- (“tooth”), which is also the source of tooth.^[3][5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The art or profession of a dentist: Etymonline dates it to 1803,^[3] while the OED's first quotation, from Tait's Edinburgh Magazine, is of 1838.^[2][6]

Semantic evolution

The word grew out of dentist, which was borrowed from French in 1759 and at first mocked in Britain as a high-flown foreign name for a tooth-drawer, the native word recorded since the late 14th century.^[3][5] Dictionary.com dates dentistry to 1830–40 and the Shorter Oxford to the mid 19th century, in line with the OED's 1838.^[4][7][2] Its meaning has stayed the same, the practice or science of treating the teeth and mouth,^[2][8][9] and Merriam-Webster also records it for the work a dentist produces, such as fillings or dentures.^[6]

Timeline

• 1759 – dentist, borrowed from French.^[2][3]
• 1803 – dentistry, the art or profession of a dentist, according to Etymonline.^[3]
• 1838 – the OED's first quotation, in Tait's Edinburgh Magazine.^[2][6]

Meanings

Noun

1. The branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the teeth, gums and mouth: She is studying dentistry in Leeds.^[8][9]
2. The profession or practice of a dentist.^[6][2]
3. Work done by a dentist, such as inlays or dentures.^[6]

Related words

• dentist
• dental
• denture
• tooth

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
4. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
5. ^ a b c d Ayto, John (2005), Word Origins: The Secret Histories of English Words from A to Z, 2nd ed., London: A & C Black
6. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
7. ^ Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
8. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
9. ^ a b Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins