denture

Forms

denture f (plural dentures)^[1]

Etymology

It is formed from French dent + -ure.^[2][3][4][5] dent continues Latin dēns (“tooth”).^[6][7] Picoche places the Latin noun, with its zero-grade vowel, in the family of Proto-Indo-European *ed- (“to chew”).^[7]

The TLFi and Rey date the word to 1276, while Bloch and Wartburg and Picoche give the 14th century and the GLLF about 1398 (Eustache Deschamps).^{[2][8][6][7][9]}

Earliest recorded meaning

Adam de la Halle's Jeu de la Feuillée (1276–1277) has blanke denture “white teeth”.^[2]

Semantic evolution

From the set of teeth of a person or an animal the word passed to technology: in 1752 the Trévoux dictionary records it for the teeth of a toothed wheel, and it was later used of the teeth of a rack or a saw.^[2][8][9] In the 20th century dentistry used it for a dental appliance.^[4] In Quebec it produced denturologie “the making and fitting of dentures” and denturologue.^[8]

Timeline

• 1276–1277 – Adam de la Halle writes blanke denture.^[2]
• c. 1398 – Eustache Deschamps uses it.^[9]
• 1752 – The Trévoux dictionary records the sense “teeth of a toothed wheel”.^[2][9]
• 20th century – It names a dental appliance.^[4]

Meanings

Noun

1. (literary, technical) The set of teeth of a person or animal, a dentition: Le chien montrait une denture impressionnante.^[4][2][10]
2. (anatomy) The number, kind and arrangement of the teeth.^[2][10]
3. (technical) The teeth of a toothed wheel, a rack or a saw.^[4][9][10]
4. (dentistry) A dental appliance.^[4]

Word family

• denturologie
• denturologue

Related words

• dent
• dentier
• dentition
• Latin dens

Usage notes

Littré quotes, under denture, a 13th-century proverb with denteüre (Qu'aprent poulain en denteüre).^[10] The Anglo-Norman Dictionary, however, records denteure and denture as spellings of a separate Old French noun meaning “taming, breaking-in”.^[11]

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d e f g h Trésor de la langue française informatisé (2004), ATILF – CNRS & Université de Lorraine, atilf.fr/tlfi; electronic version of Imbs, Paul; Quemada, Bernard, eds. (1971–1994), Trésor de la langue française, Paris: CNRS / Gallimard
3. ^ Rey, Alain, ed. (2005), Le Grand Robert de la langue française, electronic version, Paris: Le Robert
4. ^ a b c d e f Rey-Debove, Josette; Rey, Alain, eds. (2007), Le Petit Robert de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
5. ^ Wiktionnaire (French Wiktionary), fr.wiktionary.org
6. ^ a b Bloch, Oscar; Wartburg, Walther von (1989), Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue française, 8th ed., Paris: Presses universitaires de France
7. ^ a b c Picoche, Jacqueline (1991), Dictionnaire étymologique du français, Paris: Le Robert (Les Usuels du Robert)
8. ^ a b c Rey, Alain, ed. (1992), Dictionnaire historique de la langue française, Paris: Le Robert
9. ^ a b c d e Guilbert, Louis; Lagane, René; Niobey, Georges, eds. (1971–1978; 1989), Grand Larousse de la langue française, Paris: Larousse
10. ^ a b c d Littré, Émile (1873–1877), Dictionnaire de la langue française, 4 vols. and supplement, Paris: Hachette
11. ^ Anglo-Norman Dictionary (AND2), Aberystwyth University, anglo-norman.net (2nd ed., 2005–)