tusk

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle)

CIDE DICTIONARY

tusk, n. 

 Same as Torsk.  [1913 Webster]

tusk, n. [OE. tusk, the same word as tusch, AS. tusc. See Tush a tooth.].

•  One of the elongated incisor or canine teeth of the wild boar, elephant, etc.; hence, any long, protruding tooth.  [1913 Webster]
•  A toothshell, or Dentalium; -- called also tusk-shell.  [1913 Webster]
•  A projecting member like a tenon, and serving the same or a similar purpose, but composed of several steps, or offsets. Thus, in the illustration, a is the tusk, and each of the several parts, or offsets, is called a tooth.  [1913 Webster]

tusk, v. i. 

 To bare or gnash the teeth.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

tusk, n. & v.
--n.
1 a long pointed tooth, esp. protruding from a closed mouth, as in the elephant, walrus, etc.
2 a tusklike tooth or other object.
--v.tr. gore, thrust at, or tear up with a tusk or tusks.

Idiom

tusk shell
1 any of various molluscs of the class Scaphopoda.
2 its long tubular tusk-shaped shell.

Derivative

tusked adj. (also in comb.). tusky adj.

Etymology

ME alt. of OE tux var. of tusc: cf. TUSH(2)

THESAURUS

tusk

baby tooth, bicuspid, bucktooth, canine, crown, cuspid, cutter, deciduous tooth, dent, denticle, denticulation, dentil, dentition, dogtooth, eyetooth, fang, fore tooth, gagtooth, gang tooth, gold tooth, gore, grinder, horn, incisor, milk tooth, molar, peg, permanent tooth, pivot tooth, premolar, scrivello, snag, snaggletooth, tooth, tush, wisdom tooth

ROGET THESAURUS

tusk

Sharpness

N sharpness, acuity, acumination, spinosity, point, spike, spine, spicule, spiculum, needle, hypodermic needle, tack, nail, pin, prick, prickle, spur, rowel, barb, spit, cusp, horn, antler, snag, tag thorn, bristle, Adam's needle, bear grass, tine, yucca, nib, tooth, tusk, spoke, cog, ratchet, crag, crest, arete, cone peak, sugar loaf, pike, aiguille, spire, pyramid, steeple, beard, chevaux de frise, porcupine, hedgehog, brier, bramble, thistle, comb, awn, beggar's lice, bur, burr, catchweed, cleavers, clivers, goose, grass, hairif, hariff, flax comb, hackle, hatchel, heckle, wedge, knife edge, cutting edge, blade, edge tool, cutlery, knife, penknife, whittle, razor, razor blade, safety razor, straight razor, electric razor, scalpel, bistoury, lancet, plowshare, coulter, colter, hatchet, ax, pickax, mattock, pick, adze, gill, billhook, cleaver, cutter, scythe, sickle, scissors, shears, pruning shears, cutters, wire cutters, nail clipper, paper cutter, sword, bodkin, belduque, bowie knife, paring knife, bushwhacker, drawing knife, drawing shave, microtome, chisel, screwdriver blade, flint blade, guillotine, sharpener, hone, strop, grindstone, whetstone, novaculite, steel, emery, sharp, keen, acute, acicular, aciform, aculeated, acuminated, pointed, tapering, conical, pyramidal, mucronate, mucronated, spindle shaped, needle shaped, spiked, spiky, ensiform, peaked, salient, cusped, cuspidate, cuspidated, cornute, cornuted, cornicultate, prickly, spiny, spinous, spicular, thorny, bristling, muricated, pectinated, studded, thistly, briary, craggy, snaggy, digitated, two-edged, fusiform, dentiform, denticulated, toothed, odontoid, starlike, stellated, stelliform, sagittate, sagittiform, arrowheaded, arrowy, barbed, spurred, acinaciform, apiculate, apiculated, aristate, awned, awny, bearded, calamiform, cone-shaped, coniform, crestate, echinate, gladiate, lanceolate, lanciform, awl, awl-shaped, lance-shaped, awl- shaped, scimitar-shaped, sword-shaped, setarious, spinuliferous, subulate, tetrahedral, xiphoid, cutting, sharp edged, knife edged, sharp as a razor, keen as a razor, sharp as a needle, sharp as a tack, sharpened, set.