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

[New Latin Dentālium, genus name, from dentālis, toothy; see dental.]

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Examples

Comments

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  • 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