edentate

[ ee-den-teyt ]

adjective

1. belonging or pertaining to the Edentata, an order of New World mammals characterized by the absence of incisors and canines in the arrangement of teeth and comprising the armadillos, the sloths, and the South American anteaters.
2. toothless.

noun

1. an edentate mammal.

edentate

/ iːˈdɛnteɪt /

noun

1. any of the placental mammals that constitute the order Edentata, which inhabit tropical regions of Central and South America. The order includes anteaters, sloths, and armadillos

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the order Edentata

edentate

/ ē-dĕn′tāt′ /

Adjective

1. Lacking teeth.

Noun

1. Any of various mammals belonging to the order Xenarthra (or Edentata), having no front teeth and few or no back teeth. The lumbar vertebrae have extra joints, which add support during digging. Sloths, armadillos, and anteaters are edentates.

Word History and Origins

Origin of edentate¹

First recorded in 1820–30; from Latin ēdentātus, past participle of ēdentāre “to knock the teeth out”; equivalent to ē- variant of ex- “out of” + dent- (stem of dēns ) “tooth” + -ātus past participle ending of first conjugation verbs; e- ¹, tooth, -ate ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of edentate¹

C19: from Latin ēdentātus lacking teeth, from ēdentāre to render toothless, from e- out + dēns tooth

Example Sentences

One of several species of edentates and monotremes that feed upon ants.

From Project Gutenberg

The palatines are edentate, but bear strong ridges throughout their lengths.

From Project Gutenberg

Tubulidentata.—The second suborder of edentates, namely the Tubulidentata, is represented at the present day only by the aard-varks, or ant-bears, of Africa, constituting the family Orycteropodidae and the genus Orycteropus.

From Project Gutenberg

The edentates not only included various ground-sloths, among them the megatherium, which was the size of an elephant, and the somewhat smaller mylodon, but also creatures as fantastic as those of a nightmare.

From Project Gutenberg

The palatine is small, curved anteriorly and edentate.

From Project Gutenberg