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toothbrush

noun, verb — 2 senses

toothbrush

noun

UK /ˈtuːθ.bɹʌʃ/ · US /ˈtuθ.bɹʌʃ/

Etymology From tooth + brush. Compare Saterland Frisian Tuskebäärsel (“toothbrush”), West Frisian toskboarstel (“toothbrush”), Dutch tandenborstel (“toothbrush”), German Zahnbürste (“toothbrush”), Danish tandbørste (“toothbrush”), Swedish tandborste (“toothbrush”), Icelandic tannbursti (“toothbrush”).

1

A brush, used with toothpaste, for cleaning the teeth.

  • A Turkiſh tooth-bruſh1656, John Tradescant, Muſæum Tradefcantianum: OR, A COLLECTION OF RARITIES. PRESERVED At South-Lambeth neer London, page 53:
Derived terms
electric toothbrush, ionic toothbrush, nature's toothbrush, power toothbrush, toothbrushful, toothbrushless, toothbrushlike, toothbrush moustache, toothbrush mustache, toothbrush tree, toothbrushy

toothbrush

verb

Etymology From tooth + brush. Compare Saterland Frisian Tuskebäärsel (“toothbrush”), West Frisian toskboarstel (“toothbrush”), Dutch tandenborstel (“toothbrush”), German Zahnbürste (“toothbrush”), Danish tandbørste (“toothbrush”), Swedish tandborste (“toothbrush”), Icelandic tannbursti (“toothbrush”).

1

To clean or scrub with a toothbrush.

  • In Rome, a restorer toothbrushed away some candle-grime over God's Sistine Chapel eye to reveal an eyebrow of Groucho Marx proportion.1997, Matthew Remski, Dying for Veronica:
  • I toothbrushed the stale rum stink from my mouth and stared at myself in the cabinet mirror.2004, Iceberg Slim, Trick Baby:

Entry derived from the Wiktionary, under licence CC BY-SA 4.0 — list of authors.