Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- n. Any of various tooth shells of the genus Dentalium.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- n. The typical and leading genus of the family Dentaliidæ. Different limits have been assigned to it. By the older conchologists it was used for all the Dentaliidæ, or forms with tusk-like shells; but more recently it has been restricted to Dentaliidæ with the posterior end of the tusk-like shell furnished with an internal slightly projecting tube provided with a dorsoventrally elongated opening.
Wiktionary
- n. Any of various tooth shells of the genus Dentalium
GNU Webster's 1913
- n. (Zoöl.) A genus of marine mollusks belonging to the Scaphopoda, having a tubular conical shell.
Etymologies
- New Latin Dentālium, genus name, from dentālis, toothy; see dental. (American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition)
Examples
“Bea, our bone specialist, had the final say, identifying one of the three pieces as being possibly of dentalium, from the weird and wonderful world of molluscs.”
Interactive Dig Sagalassos - Small Finds Conservation Report 1
“Charies de Lint one the shaman wore in Aled Evans's painting, with the same intricate pattern of colored beads and dentalium shells.”
“His leggings and shirt were of a plain doeskin, an ornamental band of colored beads and dentalium shells formed the shirt's collar.”
“The dentalium shell was their most prized ornament and standard of value.”
“About the neck were long wampum necklaces with _dentalium, unionida, and auricula, _ interspersed with beads.”
An Introduction to the mortuary customs of the North American Indians
“Noses ", originally bestowed by the French trappers, refers to a former custom of wearing a dentalium shell through a hole bored in the septum of the nose.”
“Slaves are killed and their flesh is used as bait in catching the dentalium snails, perhaps in order to get a mystic idea into the shells of the snails. [”
Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘dentalium’.
-
molluscs
very comprehensive list
of molluscs,who does not like
calamari? hmm yum
molluscigerous
100,000 species just in molluscsabalone, ammonite, argonaut, ataata, belon, bivalve, blackhead, bluepoint, brachiopod, buckie, byssal, byssus and 271 more...
-
Mollusks
"Snaily, clammy, squidy" has evolved into a vehicle for linking to mollusk quotations, so I've started this list for vernacular names of mollusks.
clam, snail, slug, squid, octopus, nautilus, conch, chank, whelk, mussel, oyster, scallop and 221 more...
-
The word collector
My collection of words that are intriguing, but don't fit my other lists.
snailery, aplasia, postulant, aigrette, caravel, frigate, capeskin, suffusion, schist, varlet, sepulchral, anisotropy and 317 more...
Tweets
Looking for tweets for dentalium.
Comments
No comments yet...
Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.