egg tooth

  • 1egg tooth — n. a tooth like structure on the nose or beak of young reptiles and birds used to break the egg membrane or shell at the time of hatching …

    English World dictionary

  • 2egg tooth — egg′ tooth n. zool. a calcareous prominence at the tip of the beak or upper jaw of an embryonic bird or reptile, used to break through the eggshell at hatching • Etymology: 1890–95 …

    From formal English to slang

  • 3Egg tooth — In some egg laying animals, the egg tooth is a small, sharp, cranial protuberance used by offspring to break or tear through the egg s surface during hatching. It is present in most birds and reptiles, and similar structures exist in monotremes,… …

    Wikipedia

  • 4egg tooth — a calcareous prominence at the tip of the beak or upper jaw of an embryonic bird or reptile, used to break through the eggshell at hatching. [1890 95] * * * ▪ anatomy       tooth or toothlike structure used by the young of many egg laying species …

    Universalium

  • 5egg tooth — noun : a hard sharp prominence on the tip of the beak or nose of embryo birds and oviparous reptiles with which they break through the eggshell; also : an analogous chitinous prominence on the head of an insect * * * a calcareous prominence at… …

    Useful english dictionary

  • 6egg-tooth — see egg burster …

    Dictionary of invertebrate zoology

  • 7egg tooth — noun Date: 1893 a hard sharp prominence on the beak of an unhatched bird or the nose of an unhatched reptile that is used to break through the eggshell …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 8egg tooth — noun A small, sharp, cranial protuberance used by offspring to break or tear through the eggs surface during hatching …

    Wiktionary

  • 9egg tooth — noun a hard white protuberance on the beak or jaw of an embryo bird or reptile, used for breaking out of the shell …

    English new terms dictionary

  • 10egg tooth — /ˈɛg tuθ/ (say eg toohth) noun a calcareous point on the tip of the beak or upper jaw, by which an unhatched bird or reptile breaks through the eggshell on hatching …