Etymologically
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dentistry

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 20:59. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • /ˈdɛntɪstɹi/[1]

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]

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