Etymology
Advertisement

mastodon (n.)

"large, extinct, forest-dwelling elephant-like mammal of North and Central America," 1813, from Modern Latin genus name Mastodon (1806), coined by French naturalist Georges Léopole Chrétien Frédéric Dagobert, Baron Cuvier (1769-1832) from Greek mastos "breast" (see masto-) + -odon "tooth" (from PIE root *dent- "tooth"); so called from the nipple-like projections on the crowns of the mammal's fossil molars. They died out about 10,500 years ago, probably hunted to extinction by humans. Their bones had been dug up in America since 1705, but at first they were confused with those of the mammoth. Related: Mastodontic.

Entries linking to mastodon

masto- 

before vowels mast-, word-forming element meaning "female breast, mammary gland," from Greek mastos "woman's breast," from madan "to be wet, to flow," from PIE *mad- "wet, moist, dripping" (source also of Latin madere "be moist;" Albanian mend "suckle;" see mast (n.2)).

*dent- 

Proto-Indo-European root meaning "tooth."

It forms 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 is the hypothetical source of/evidence for its existence is provided by: Sanskrit danta, Greek odontos (gen.), Latin dens, Lithuanian dantis, Old Irish det, Welsh dent, Old English toð, German Zahn, Gothic tunþus "tooth."

iguanodon (n.)
dinosaur name, 1825, hybrid from iguana + Latinized stem of Greek odonys "tooth" (on model of mastodon). So called because the fossil teeth and bones were thought to resemble (except in size) those of the tropical lizard.

Others are reading

Advertisement
Advertisement
Definitions of mastodon

mastodon (n.)
extinct elephant-like mammal that flourished worldwide from Miocene through Pleistocene times; differ from mammoths in the form of the molar teeth;
Synonyms: mastodont
From wordnet.princeton.edu

Dictionary entries near mastodon

masticate

mastication

mastiff

mastitis

masto-

mastodon

mastoid

masturbate

masturbation

masturbator

mat

© 2001-2022 Douglas Harper