English
teethe
Teethe comes from Middle English tethen ‘to tooth or teeth’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- ‘to bite’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ed-1‘to bite’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃dónts2‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tanþs3‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tanþijaną3‘to teethe’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tanþijan3‘to teethe’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tēþan3‘to teethe’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tethen3‘to tooth or teeth’
- Englishtodayteethe3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts
- 2 Wiktionary, Proto-Germanic *tanþs
- 3 Wiktionary, English teethe
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃ed-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts‘to bite’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₃dóntsWiktionary, Proto-Germanic *tanþs‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tanþsWiktionary, English teethe‘tooth’reconstructed
- Proto-Germanic, derivedc. 500 BCE–200 CE*tanþijanąWiktionary, English teethe‘to teethe’reconstructed
- Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*tanþijanWiktionary, English teethe‘to teethe’reconstructed
- Old Englishc. 450–1150tēþanWiktionary, English teethe‘to teethe’
- Middle Englishc. 1150–1500tethenWiktionary, English teethe‘to tooth or teeth’
- EnglishtodayteetheWiktionary, English teethe
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- ‘to bite’
odor, annoy, ozone, trident, egregious, odious, denture, redolent, dentin, osmium, dentate, odium, 63 more
through Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts ‘tooth’
dental, dent, zinc, dens, toothless, dancy, 47 more
through Proto-Germanic *tanþs ‘tooth’
Today it means
verb To grow teeth.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “teethe”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts, Proto-Germanic *tanþs. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₃ed- / teethe