different between teeth vs bridgework

English

Etymology

From Middle English teth, plural of tothe, from Old English t?þ, nominative plural of t?þ, from earlier *tœ?þ, from Proto-Germanic *tanþiz, nominative plural of *tanþs, from Proto-Indo-European *h?dóntes, nominative plural of *h?dónts.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ti??/
• Rhymes: -i??

Noun

teeth

1. plural of tooth

Noun

teeth pl (plural only)

1. (informal) The ability to be enforced, or to be enforced to any useful effect.

Synonyms

• (plural of "tooth"): chompers, pearly whites, Hampstead Heath
• (ability to be enforced): enforceability

Derived terms

Verb

teeth (third-person singular simple present teeths, present participle teething, simple past and past participle teethed)

1. Dated spelling of teethe (“to grow teeth”).
   • 1943, Herman Niels Bundesen, Our Babies (page 81)

     Thus, a mother should not think that there is something wrong just because her baby teeths, crawls, walks, or talks earlier or later than her neighbor's baby.

See also

• toothless

English

Etymology

From bridge +? -work

Noun

bridgework (countable and uncountable, plural bridgeworks)

1. (dentistry) A partial denture that is anchored to existing teeth.
   • 1941, "Sullivan's Travels":

     Just think. If you were some big shot like a casting director or something, I'd be staring into your bridgework, saying, 'Yes, Mr. Smearkase; no, Mr. Smearkase; not really, Mr. Smearkase. Oh! Mr. Smearkase, that's my knee!'

2. The construction or repair of bridges.
3. The component parts of a bridge.

Translations

References

• “bridgework”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–present.