dent

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word dent. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word dent, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say dent in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word dent you have here. The definition of the word dent will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofdent, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: Dent, dént, and dënt

English

A dented shield.

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle English dent, dente, dint (a blow; strike; dent), from Old English dynt (blow, strike, the mark or noise of a blow), from Proto-Germanic *duntiz (a blow). Akin to Old Norse dyntr (dint). Doublet of dint.

Noun

dent (plural dents)

  1. A shallow deformation in the surface of an object, produced by an impact.
    The crash produced a dent in the left side of the car.
  2. (figurative) A minor effect made upon something.
    to make a dent
    • 1990, Wayne Jancik, The Billboard Book of One-Hit Wonders, →ISBN, page 392:
      "Case Of You" (#67, 1980), a single on the Scotti Brothers label, was Frank's first chart dent.
    • 2022, W. David Marx, chapter 10, in Status and Culture, Viking, →ISBN:
      The transitoriness perhaps makes viral content the most representative form of culture in the twenty-first century: an era of vast quantities, deep specificity, and breakneck speed, where few individual artifacts, artworks, or conventions leave a dent in society or bend the curve of history.
  3. A type of maize/corn with a relatively soft outer hull, and a soft type of starch that shrinks at maturity to leave an indentation in the surface of the kernel.
  4. (by extension, informal) A sudden negative change, such as loss, damage, weakening, consumption or diminution, especially one produced by an external force, event or action
    That purchase put a bit of a dent in my wallet.
    • 2011 April 11, Phil McNulty, “Liverpool 3 - 0 Man City”, in BBC Sport:
      Andy Carroll's first goals since his £35m move to Liverpool put a dent in Manchester City's Champions League hopes as they were emphatically swept aside at Anfield.
Derived terms
Translations

Verb

dent (third-person singular simple present dents, present participle denting, simple past and past participle dented)

  1. (transitive) To impact something, producing a dent.
  2. (intransitive) To develop a dent or dents.
    Copper is soft and dents easily.
Derived terms
Translations

Etymology 2

From French dent, from Latin dēns, dentis (tooth). Doublet of dens and tooth.

Noun

dent (plural dents)

  1. (engineering) A tooth, as of a card, a gear wheel, etc.
  2. (weaving) A slot or a wire in a reed

Anagrams

Catalan

Etymology

Inherited from Latin dentem m.

Pronunciation

Noun

dent f (plural dents)

  1. (anatomy) tooth
  2. tooth (saw tooth)
  3. tooth (gear tooth)

Derived terms

Further reading

Franco-Provençal

Alternative forms

Etymology

Inherited from Latin dentem.

Noun

dent f (plural dents) (ORB, broad)

  1. tooth

References

  • dent in DicoFranPro: Dictionnaire Français/Francoprovençal – on dicofranpro.llm.umontreal.ca
  • dent in Lo trèsor Arpitan – on arpitan.eu

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French dent f, with change of gender from Old French dent m, from Latin dentem m, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts, *h₃dónts.

Pronunciation

Noun

dent f (plural dents)

  1. tooth
  2. cog (tooth on a gear)

Derived terms

Further reading

Anagrams

Latin

Pronunciation

Verb

dent

  1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of , "they may give"

Lombard

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin dentem.

Pronunciation

Noun

dent m

  1. tooth

Etymology 2

From Late Latin dē intrō.

Adverb

dent

  1. inside; indoors

References

  • AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweizmap 108: “un dente marcio” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it
  • Arrighi, Cletto (1896) Dizionario milanese-italiano, col repertorio italiano-milanese: (in Italian), Milan: Hoepli, page 184
  • Angiolini, Francesco (1897) Vocabolario milanese-italiano coi segni per la pronuncia (in Italian), pages 262-263

Middle English

Noun

dent

  1. Alternative form of dint

Middle French

Etymology

From Old French dent m.

Noun

dent f (plural dens)

  1. tooth

Descendants

  • French: dent f

Norman

Norman Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia nrf

Etymology

From Old French dent, from Latin dēns, dentem, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts, *h₃dónts.

Pronunciation

Noun

dent m (plural dents)

  1. (anatomy) tooth

Derived terms

Occitan

Etymology

From Latin dentem m. Attested from the 12th century.[1] Compare Catalan dent f.

Pronunciation

Noun

dent f (plural dents)

  1. tooth

References

  1. ^ Diccionari General de la Lenga Occitana, L’Academia occitana – Consistòri del Gai Saber, 2008-2024, page 185.

Old French

Etymology

From Latin dēns, dente m.

Pronunciation

Noun

dent oblique singularm (oblique plural denz or dentz, nominative singular denz or dentz, nominative plural dent)

  1. (anatomy, of a comb) tooth

Descendants

Piedmontese

Etymology

From Latin dēns, dentem, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts, *h₃dónts.

Pronunciation

Noun

dent m (plural dent)

  1. tooth

Derived terms

Romansch

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Latin dēns, dentem, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dénts, *h₃dónts.

Noun

dent m (plural dents)

  1. (anatomy, Rumantsch Grischun, Sursilvan) tooth

Derived terms