Odontoid
/oʊˈdɒntɔɪd/noun
Shaped like a tooth, especially referring to the tooth-like dens projecting from the second cervical vertebra.
Did you know?The odontoid process, or dens, projects upward from the axis vertebra and acts as a pivot around which the atlas and skull rotate.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₃dónts
“Tooth”
Ancient Greek
Greek
odoús (ὀδούς), odónt- (ὀδόντ-)
“Tooth; the stem odont- was used in compounds”
Ancient Greek
Greek
eîdos (εἶδος)
“Form, shape, or appearance”
19th Century
Scientific English
odontoid
“Resembling a tooth, formed from Greek odont- “tooth” and -oid “like” or “resembling””
Modern English
English
odontoid
“Tooth-shaped; specifically relating to the dens of the second cervical vertebra”