Link Centre Dictionary

tusk

UK/ˈtuːsk/ US/ˈtʌsk/ uncommon obsolete
noun (2) verb (2)

noun

1.

a hard smooth ivory colored dentine that makes up most of the tusks of elephants and walruses

Synonyms
2.

verb

1.

stab or pierce with a horn or tusk

  • “the rhino horned the explorer”
Synonyms
2.

remove the tusks of animals

  • “tusk an elephant”
Synonyms

Origin

From Middle English tusk (also tux, tusch), from Old English tūsc, tūx (“canine tooth, tusk, molar”), from Proto-West Germanic *tų̄sk, *tunsk, from Proto-Germanic *tunþskaz (“canine tooth”), extended form of *tanþs (“tooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts (“tooth”).

Phrases

  • milk tusk
  • tusk tenon

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Parts

Part of

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.