Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun Any of various tusk shells of the genus Dentalium, some of which are used for ornament and were used by native peoples of western North America as currency.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The typical and leading genus of the family Dentaliidæ.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A genus of marine mollusks belonging to the Scaphopoda, having a tubular conical shell.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun Any of various
tooth shells of the genus Dentalium
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
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Examples
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Bea, our bone specialist, had the final say, identifying one of the three pieces as being possibly of dentalium, from the weird and wonderful world of molluscs.
Interactive Dig Sagalassos - Small Finds Conservation Report 1 2003
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Charies de Lint one the shaman wore in Aled Evans's painting, with the same intricate pattern of colored beads and dentalium shells.
Moonheart De Lint, Charles, 1951- 1990
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His leggings and shirt were of a plain doeskin, an ornamental band of colored beads and dentalium shells formed the shirt's collar.
Moonheart De Lint, Charles, 1951- 1990
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The dentalium shell was their most prized ornament and standard of value.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 13: Revelation-Stock 1840-1916 1913
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About the neck were long wampum necklaces with _dentalium, unionida, and auricula, _ interspersed with beads.
An Introduction to the mortuary customs of the North American Indians 1884
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Noses ", originally bestowed by the French trappers, refers to a former custom of wearing a dentalium shell through a hole bored in the septum of the nose.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume 13: Revelation-Stock 1840-1916 1913
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Slaves are killed and their flesh is used as bait in catching the dentalium snails, perhaps in order to get a mystic idea into the shells of the snails. [
Folkways A Study of the Sociological Importance of Usages, Manners, Customs, Mores, and Morals William Graham Sumner 1875
vendingmachine commented on the word dentalium
Wačháŋtognaka | Nurture, 2019 by Dyani White Hawk, Indigenous artist (Sičáŋǧu Lakota), from the 'Takes Care of Them' series “Inspired by Plains style women’s dentalium dresses, the set speaks to the ways in which Native women collectively care for our communities"
April 27, 2022