Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A substance, such as a paste or powder, for cleaning the teeth.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A powder or other substance used in cleaning of the teeth. The term is now also applied to liquid preparations for the same purpose.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A powder or other substance to be used in cleaning the teeth; tooth powder.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun toothpaste or any other substance, such as powder, for cleaning the teeth

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a substance for cleaning the teeth; applied with a toothbrush

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[French, from Old French, from Latin dentifricium : denti-, denti- + fricāre, to rub.]

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Examples

  • Therefore the frequent use of oranges as a dentifrice is a habit of great value.

    Vitality Supreme Bernarr Macfadden 1911

  • "Crest has been shown to be an effective decay-preventive dentifrice when used in a conscientiously-applied program of oral hygiene and regular professional care."

    Quixote Bronson, Savior of Neglected Suburban Housewives 2010

  • The latter, though, was designed for android use; he ordered a toothbrush and the first dentifrice on the list.

    The Beast That Resembles A Poem(A Handy Resource for Architects,Engineers, and Students) 2010

  • Perhaps a cultural interest in dentifrice will finally blossom or at least a desire for multiple video walls and interactive tele-novels — oh, wait, never mind.

    Fahrenheit 451 Graphic Novel 2009

  • Lord knows that as quickly as they themselves are being ravaged by enemy fire, Bush is raiding their VA funding, so they need all the dentifrice help they can get.

    Dentists Send Halloween Candy to G.I.s: Trick or Treat? 2007

  • A spy tells Lowdown that after handing out tube after tube of the decay-preventing dentifrice to passersby, the 'Apprentice' team enlisted a plump 51-year-old woman to haul the unsightly empty boxes back to a nearby truck and haul back armsful of sparkling-new boxes.

    05/20/2004 2004

  • The marks that flatware leaves on dishes during use or sometimes in the dishwasher, if loading is not done carefully, can be removed with a bit of dentifrice powder and gentle rubbing, or a little silver polish.

    HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005

  • An overnight soak in white vinegar and water or dentifrice powder dissolved in warm water will take out many difficult stains such as water lines in vases or hard-water spots that will not come off with some gentle buffing.

    HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005

  • The marks that flatware leaves on dishes during use or sometimes in the dishwasher, if loading is not done carefully, can be removed with a bit of dentifrice powder and gentle rubbing, or a little silver polish.

    HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005

  • An overnight soak in white vinegar and water or dentifrice powder dissolved in warm water will take out many difficult stains such as water lines in vases or hard-water spots that will not come off with some gentle buffing.

    HOME COMFORTS CHERYL MENDELSON 2005

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