Dent
/dɛnt/noun
A small hollow or depression in a surface, or to make one.
Did you know?Dent comes from the same deep Indo-European root as Latin dens, meaning “tooth,” which is why a dent is literally a place where something has been bitten in or marked by a tooth-like pressure.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃dónts
“tooth”
Latin
Latin
dens
“tooth”
Old French
OF
dent
“tooth”
Middle English
English
dent
“tooth; a small indentation”
Modern English
English
dent
“a small hollow or impression in a surface”