tusk

noun, verb — 10 senses

tusk

noun

US, UK /ˈtʌsk/ · Northern-England /ˈtʊsk/

Etymology From Middle English tusk (also tux, tusch), from Old English tūsc, tūx (“canine tooth, tusk, molar”), from Proto-West Germanic *tų̄sk, *tunsk, from Proto-Germanic *tunþskaz (“canine tooth”), extended form of *tanþs (“tooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts (“tooth”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tusk (“tooth”), West Frisian tosk (“tooth”), Icelandic toskur (“a tusk, tooth”) (whence the Old Norse and Icelandic Ratatoskr and Ratatoskur respectively), Gothic 𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌸𐌿𐍃 (tunþus, “tooth”) and *𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌹 (*tundi, “thorn, tooth”). Doublet of tush. More at tooth.

1

One of a pair of elongated pointed teeth (either cuspids or incisors) that extend outside the mouth of an animal such as walrus, elephant or wild boar, and which continue to grow throughout the animal's life.

  • Until the CITES sales ban, elephant tusks were the 'backbone' of the legal ivory trade.
2

A small projection on a (tusk) tenon.

3

A tusk shell.

4

Business, Carpentry, Construction, Manufacturing A projecting member like a tenon, and serving the same or a similar purpose, but composed of several steps, or offsets, called teeth.

5

A sharp point.

6

The share of a plough.

Derived terms
detusk, milk tusk, tusked, tuskless, tusklike, tuskwise, tussock

tusk

verb

Etymology From Middle English tusk (also tux, tusch), from Old English tūsc, tūx (“canine tooth, tusk, molar”), from Proto-West Germanic *tų̄sk, *tunsk, from Proto-Germanic *tunþskaz (“canine tooth”), extended form of *tanþs (“tooth”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₃dónts (“tooth”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian Tusk (“tooth”), West Frisian tosk (“tooth”), Icelandic toskur (“a tusk, tooth”) (whence the Old Norse and Icelandic Ratatoskr and Ratatoskur respectively), Gothic 𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌸𐌿𐍃 (tunþus, “tooth”) and *𐍄𐌿𐌽𐌳𐌹 (*tundi, “thorn, tooth”). Doublet of tush. More at tooth.

1

To dig up using a tusk, as boars do.

2

To gore with the tusks.

3

Obsolete To bare or gnash the teeth.

Related terms
tusked, tusker, tusklike, tusky, tusk tenon

tusk

noun
1

An edible fish, Brosme brosme.

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

Learn more