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Origin and history of tusk

tusk(n.)

"long, pointed tooth protruding from the lips of an animal when the mouth is closed," Old English tusc, also transposed as tux, cognate with Old Frisian tusk, probably from Proto-Germanic *tunthska- (source also of Gothic tunþus "tooth"). This is reconstructed to be from an extended form of PIE root *dent- "tooth." But "there are no certain cognates outside of the Anglo-Frisian area" [OED]. Related: Tusked. Tusker "grown elephant" is by 1859.

Entries linking to tusk

*dent-

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "tooth."

It might form all or part of: al dente; dandelion; dental; dentifrice; dentist; dentition; denture; glyptodon; indent (v.1) "to make notches;" mastodon; orthodontia; periodontal; teethe; tooth; toothsome; tusk; trident.

It might also be the source of: Sanskrit danta, Greek odontos (gen.), Latin dens, Lithuanian dantis, Old Irish det, Welsh dent, Old English toð, German Zahn, Gothic tunþus "tooth."

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    Trends of tusk

    adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

    More to explore

    ivory
    mid-13c. (late 12c. as a surname), Anglo-French ivorie, from Old North French ivurie (12c.), from Medieval Latin eborium "ivory," noun use of neuter of Latin eboreus "of ivory," from ebur (genitive eboris) "ivory," probably via Phoenician from an African source (compare Egyptian
    horn
    Old English horn "horn of an animal; projection, pinnacle," also "wind instrument" (originally one made from animal horns), from Proto-Germanic *hurni- (source also of German Horn, Dutch horen, Old Frisian horn, Gothic haurn), from PIE root *ker- (1) "horn; head." Late 14c. as "o
    walrus
    "large pinniped carnivorous mammal" (the males are noted for their  enormous tusk-like canine teeth), 1650s, from Dutch...
    narwhal
    , dolphin-like Arctic sea mammal" (one of the teeth of the male is enormously developed into a straight spirally fluted tusk...
    bone
    Middle English bon, from Old English ban "bone, tusk, hard animal tissue forming the substance of the skeleton; one of the...
    trophy
    TROPHY-WIFE — the woman who was hard to get because of birth or wealth or beauty — to be kept on exhibition like a mammoth tusk...
    take
    Middle English taken, from late Old English tacan "to grip, seize by force, lay hold of," from a Scandinavian source (such as Old Norse taka "take, grasp, lay hold," past tense tok, past participle tekinn; also compare Swedish ta, past participle tagit). This is reconstructed to
    tooth
    Old English toð (plural teð), from Proto-Germanic *tanthu- (source also of Old Saxon, Danish, Swedish, Dutch tand, Old Norse tönn, Old Frisian toth, Old High German zand, German Zahn, Gothic tunþus), from PIE root *dent- "tooth." Plural teeth is an instance of i-mutation. The los
    recipe
    1580s, "medical prescription, a formula for the composing of a remedy written by a physician," from French récipé (15c.), from Latin recipe "take!" (this or that ingredient), second person imperative singular of recipere "to hold, contain" (see receive). It was the word written b
    pierce
    c. 1300 (c. 1200 as a surname), percen, "make a hole in; force one's way through; thrust through with or as with a sharp or pointed instrument," from Anglo-French perser, Old French percier "pierce, transfix, drive through" (12c., Modern French percer), probably from Vulgar Latin

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