fricare

to rub

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A close-up of a plain toothpaste tube with a small ribbon of paste extending from its open nozzle onto the bristles of a toothbrush, making the tooth-cleaning substance the focal point.

noun

dentifrice

DEN-tuh-fruhs/ˈdɛntəfrəs/

A substance used to clean teeth.

Etymology

dentiLatintooth

+friceLatinto rub

The roots combine “tooth” with “rub”: the Latin noun meant a powder for rubbing the teeth. The English word names a tooth-cleaning substance more generally, including toothpaste.

Full entry

Related word entries

dentifrice
friction