Etymologically
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toothpaste

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 31 October 2026 at 22:55. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • UK: /ˈtuːθpeɪst/[1]
  • US: /ˈtuθpeɪst/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English tooth + paste.[2][3][4] Dictionary.com marks it as an Americanism.[3] Compare the similar compounds Dutch tandpasta and German Zahnpasta.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

A paste for cleaning the teeth: 1832, in an advertisement in the American Railroad Journal.[5][2][6]

Semantic evolution

Earlier substances for cleaning the teeth were called tooth powder, from the 1540s, and tooth-soap, from about 1600.[2] The OED notes the frequent attributive use in toothpaste tube, and the figurative phrase to put the toothpaste back in the tube, to undo something that cannot be undone.[5][4]

Timeline

  • 1540s – tooth-powder, an earlier word for a tooth cleaner.[2]
  • 1832 – toothpaste, in an American advertisement.[5][2][6]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A paste for cleaning the teeth, put on a toothbrush: a tube of mint toothpaste.[7][6][8][5]
  2. put the toothpaste back in the tube: to undo something that cannot be undone.[5][4]

References

  1. ^ a b Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ a b Dictionary.com Unabridged (2016), based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, New York: Random House
  4. ^ a b c d Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  5. ^ a b c d e Oxford English Dictionary Online (accessed March 2026), Oxford: Oxford University Press
  6. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  7. ^ Collins English Dictionary (2023), Glasgow: HarperCollins
  8. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (online 2024), 5th ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt