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The Collaborative International Dictionary
Denticle

Denticle \Den"ti*cle\, n. [L. denticulus a little tooth, dim. of dens, dentis, tooth. See Dental, and cf. Dentelli.] A small tooth or projecting point.

Wiktionary
denticle

n. 1 A small tooth 2 (context medicine English) A pulp stone 3 Material serving as the dermis of shark

WordNet
denticle

n. small pointed ridge on the exoskeleton of an arthropod

Wikipedia
Denticle

A denticle is any small tooth-like or bristle-like structure.

"Denticle" may in particular refer to:

  • Dermal denticles or placoid scales, in cartilaginous fishes
  • Denticle (tooth feature), serrations found on the teeth of dinosaurs, lizards, sharks, and mammals

Alternatively, "denticle" may also refer to:

  • Pulp stone or endolith, a calcified mass in the pulp of a tooth
Denticle (tooth feature)

Denticles, also called serrations, are small bumps on a tooth that serve to give the tooth a serrated edge. In paleontology, denticle characteristics such as size and density (denticles per unit distance) are used to describe and classify fossilized teeth, especially those of dinosaurs. Denticles are also present on the teeth of varanoid lizards, sharks, and mammals.

tooth.TIF| Dromaeosauridae tooth with small denticles along the cutting edge. Scale bars are 1 mm. tooth.jpg| Ankylosaurus tooth with large denticles.

Usage examples of "denticle".

The blade’s hard alloy and the harder, more brittle denticles ground together in a curtain of sparks.

The blade's hard alloy and the harder, more brittle denticles ground together in a curtain of sparks.

He permitted himself a moment to run his hand down the steel-smooth skin of the back, then backward against the grain of the dermal denticles, which felt like rubbing sandpaper.

Susy stirred suddenly, rasping Jim's side with the dermal denticles, which, like small teeth rather than scales, studded her skin.

Her body had been trapped in a transformation somewhere between the smooth and soft skin of a human and the sharp-edged denticles of a shark, and now neither air nor water could satisfy the headmistress’s physical needs.