Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

dentalium

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.23 in modern English

Syllables: den-tal-i-um
IPA

12

Scrabble Score

9

Letters

4

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Any of various tooth shells of the genus Dentalium.

Example Sentences

"Apart from the two or three bird masks, the only other zoomorphic mask was a wolf frontlet of cedar decorated in micaceous black paint with dentalium teeth, dentalium being an important form of wealth with some of the attributes of a currency."

Etymology

Borrowed from translingual Dentalium, from Latin dentālis (“dental”), dēns (“tooth”), Proto-Italic *dents and Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *h₃ed-, Dentalium, dentālis, *dents, *h₃dónts

Inflected Forms

dentalia (plural) dentaliums (plural)

Phrases

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Frequently Paired Words

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Questions

What does dentalium mean?: Any of various tooth shells of the genus Dentalium.
Where does dentalium come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce dentalium

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “dentalium”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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Repeat and practice — Say “dentalium” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.