dentifricium

Latin

FWOTD – 9 February 2018

Etymology

From dens (tooth) + fricō (to rub) + -ium.

Pronunciation

  • (Classical) IPA(key): /den.tiˈfri.ki.um/, [dɛn.tɪˈfrɪ.ki.ũ]

Noun

dentifricium n (genitive dentifriciī); second declension

  1. tooth powder, toothpaste
    • Pliny the Elder, Natural History, XXVIII, 28, 11, 49, §182
      Efficax habetur et caprino lacte conlui dentes vel felle taurino. Talorum caprae recentium cinis dentifricio placet et omnium fere villaticarum quadrupedum, ne saepius eadem dicantur.
      It is also held to be very efficacious to wash the teeth with goat milk or gall from a bull. The anklebones of a nanny goat recently killed, [burned to] ashes is good as a toothpaste, as are the bones of all quadrupedal farm animals in most cases, to avoid repeating this too much.

Inflection

Second declension.

Case Singular Plural
Nominative dentifricium dentifricia
Genitive dentifriciī
dentifricī1
dentifriciōrum
Dative dentifriciō dentifriciīs
Accusative dentifricium dentifricia
Ablative dentifriciō dentifriciīs
Vocative dentifricium dentifricia

1Found in older Latin (until the Augustan Age).

Descendants

References

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