What is "cementum"

Cement \Ce*ment"\ (s[e^]*m[e^]nt" or s[e^]m"[e^]nt), n. [OF. cement, ciment, F. ciment, fr. L. caementum a rough, unhewn stone, pieces or chips of marble, from which mortar was made, contr. fr. caedimentum, fr. caedere to cut, prob. akin to scindere to cleave, and to E. shed, v. t.]

1. Any substance used for making bodies adhere to each other, as mortar, glue, etc.

2. A kind of calcined limestone, or a calcined mixture of clay and lime, for making mortar which will harden under water.

3. The powder used in cementation. See Cementation, n., 2.

4. Bond of union; that which unites firmly, as persons in friendship, or men in society. ``The cement of our love.''

5. (Anat.) The layer of bone investing the root and neck of a tooth; -- called also cementum.

   Hydraulic cement. See under Hydraulic.

n. (context anatomy dentistry English) A bony substance that covers the root of a tooth; cement.

n. a specialized bony substance covering the root of a tooth [syn: cement]

Cementum is a specialized calcified substance covering the root of a tooth. The cementum is the part of the periodontium that attaches the teeth to the alveolar bone by anchoring the periodontal ligament.