Incisor
/ɪnˈsaɪzər/noun
A front tooth adapted for cutting or gnawing.
Did you know?Incisor comes from Latin *incidere*, “to cut into,” the same ancient cutting-root behind a whole family of sharp, violent words that turned action into language.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*k(e)i-
“to cut; to split”
Latin
Latin
caedere
“to cut down; strike; kill”
Classical Latin
Latin
incisus
“cut into; notched”
Late Latin
Latin
incisor
“a cutter; a cutting tooth”
14th–15th Century
English
incisor
“a cutting tooth, especially a front tooth”
Modern English
English
incisor
“one of the front teeth used for cutting food”