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tusk

 [tuhsk]   Origin

tusk

   [tuhsk]
noun
1.
(in certain animals) a tooth developed to great length, usually one of a pair, as in the elephant, walrus, and wild boar, but singly in the narwhal.
2.
a long, pointed, or protruding tooth.
3.
a projection resembling the tusk of an animal.
4.
Also called gain. Carpentry. a diagonally cut shoulder at the end of a timber for strengthening a tenon.
verb (used with object)
5.
to dig up or tear off with the tusks.
6.
to gore with a tusk.

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verb (used without object)
7.
to dig up or thrust at the ground with the tusks.
Origin:
before 900; Middle English, metathetic variant of tux, Old English, variant of tusc tush2; cognate with Old Frisian tusk; akin to tooth

Related forms
tusk·less, adjective
tusk·like, adjective
un·tusked, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To tusk
Collins
World English Dictionary
tusk (tʌsk)
 
—n
1.  a pointed elongated usually paired tooth in the elephant, walrus, and certain other mammals that is often used for fighting
2.  the canine tooth of certain animals, esp horses
3.  a sharp pointed projection
4.  building trades Also called: tusk tenon a tenon shaped with an additional oblique shoulder to make a stronger joint
 
—vb
5.  to stab, tear, or gore with the tusks
 
[Old English tūsc; related to Old Frisian tosk; see tooth]
 
tusked
 
—adj
 
'tusklike
 
—adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

tusk
O.E. tux, tusc, cognate with O.Fris. tusk, probably from P.Gmc. *tunthskaz (cf. Goth. tunþus "tooth"), extended form of the root of tooth. But there are no certain cognates outside Anglo-Frisian.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
tusk   (tŭsk)  Pronunciation Key 
A long, pointed tooth, usually one of a pair, projecting from the mouth of certain animals, such as elephants, walruses, and wild pigs. Tusks are used for procuring food and as weapons.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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