A Grammatical Dictionary of Botanical Latin

toothed, “having any kind of small division” (Lindley): dentatus,-a,-um (adj.A) (when the teeth are sharp and point outwards; denticulatus,-a,-um (adj.A) (when these teeth are minute); serratus,-a,-um (adj.A) (when the teeth are sharp and point forwards or towards the apex); serrulatus,-a,-um (adj.A) (when these teeth are minute) (Stearn 1983); cuspidatus,-a,-um (adj.A), ending abruptly in a stout, often rigid point, as a toothlike cusp;’ see dentato-; see prong.

-toothed (adj.):

in L. comp. –dens, gen.sg. –dentis (adj.B); -dentatus,-a,-um (adj.A); see dens, gen.sg. -dentis (adj.B);

       singular             plural    

        m.f.          n.         m.f.          n.
Nom.  -dens    -dens     -dentes     -dentia
Gen.  -dentis               -dentium
Dat.  -denti                 -dentibus
Acc.  -dentem  -dens    -dentes     -dentia
Abl.   -denti                 -dentibus

- acutidens, with acute teeth; brevidens, with short teeth; falcidens, with hooked teeth; fissidens, with split teeth; multidens, with many teeth; paucidens, with few teeth;

- bidens, 2-dens, two-toothed; tridens, 3-dens, three-toothed

- paucidentatus, with few teeth; multidentatus, with many teeth.

Trident: tridens, gen.sg. tridentis (s.m.III), abl. sg. tridente. tridentatus, 3-toothed; “trident-pointed, when the point is truncated, and has three indentations” (Lindley). NOTE: Stearn (ed.4, 1992 pp. 94-95) gives a group of adjectives that are nouns transformed into B adjectives, hence ending in -i in the ablative singular. The most significant other change is the neutered word where the nom. and acc. sg. and pl. are identical, in the plural the nom. & acc. pl. ending in -ia (not -es). Formulated in this way, this is not a noun in apposition where the usual endings to dens, gen.sg. dentis would apply (e.g. -e in the abl. sg.).

In L. comp. -cuspis,-idis (adj.B): in L. comp., -cusped;

                    singular                       plural

                m. & f.          n.           m. & f.          n.
   Nom.      -cuspis        -cuspis     -cuspides    -cuspidia
   Gen.       -cuspidis                    -cuspidium
   Dat.        -cuspidi                     -cuspidibus
   Acc.       -cuspidem     -cuspis    -cuspides    -cuspidia
   Abl.         -cuspidi                     -cuspidibus

- brevicuspis,-idis, short-cusped; longicuspis,-idis, long-cusped; tenuicuspis,-idis, with a slender cusp; tricuspis,-idis, with three cusps.

NOTE: this adj.B is formulated from a noun (cuspis) in the same manner as -dens,-dentis above.

in Gk. comp. odon-, odonto-; -odonteus,-a,-um (adj.A);

-odontus,-a,-um (adj.A); -odon, gen. sg. -odontis (s.m.III) (noun in apposition, used as an adjective); [> Gk. odous, gen.sg. odontos, a tooth];

      singular   plural 

Nom.  -odon     -odontes
Gen.  -odontis  -odonum
Dat.  -odonti   -odontibus
Acc.  -odontem  -odontes
Abl.  –odonte   -odontibus

- macrodon,-dontis, macrodonteus, macrodontus, with large teeth; oligodontus, with few teeth; polyodontus, with many teeth; oligodon, with few teeth; polydon, with many teeth.

- triodontus, with three teeth; diodontus, with two teeth; tetradontus, tetradon,-dontis, with four teeth; octodontus, eight-toothed.

- odontocarpus, with toothed fruits; odontodactylus, with toothed fingers; odontoglossus, with a toothed tongue; odontolepis, with toothed scales; odontophyllus, with toothed leaves.

- odontopleurus, with toothed ribs; odontopterus, with toothed wings.

- arthrodontus,-a,-um (adj.A): in bryology, with peristome teeth consisting of thickened walls representing parts of cells, appearing jointed; nematodontus,-a,-um (adj.A), in bryophytes, nematodontous, with peristome teeth consisting of whole cells, appearing as threads.

NOTE: the connecting vowel -o- is elided between the semivowel -y- and the following vowel: e.g. polyodontus.

NOTE: Greek nouns do not seem to be capable of transformation into B adjectives as Latin ones are, hence they are nouns in apposition with no separate neuter ending and -e in the ablative singular.

Hymenostylium ceratodonteum (C. Muell.) Broth.; Didymodon ceratodonteus (C. Muell.) Dixon.