Teeth
“Teeth” 指口腔中的牙齿,如 “Brush your teeth twice a day.”(每天刷两次牙。)机械语境中指齿轮的齿,如 “the teeth of the saw”(锯齿)。
- “The dentist checked her teeth for cavities.” (牙医检查了她是否有蛀牙。)
- “He clenched his teeth during the injection.” (打针时他咬紧了牙关。)
- “The zipper’s teeth were bent and would not close.” (拉链齿弯了,拉不上。)
“Tooth” 源自古英语 toth,复数 teeth 为不规则变化,与德语 Zahn/Zähne 类似。
不规则复数 tooth → teeth;相关词 dental(牙齿的)、toothbrush(牙刷)。
习语 “armed to the teeth”(全副武装)、“show your teeth”(露出威慑);美白与正畸在消费文化中话题度高;儿童换牙 “baby teeth fall out” 是成长里程碑。
- 单数: tooth
- 形容词: dental
- 固定搭配: “brush one’s teeth” (刷牙), “sweet tooth” (爱吃甜食), “in the teeth of” (迎着……逆境)
tooth 变 teeth 是不规则复数:把 oo 换成 ee,像一排牙。
“The puppy lost a few baby teeth and left tiny marks on the chew toy.” (小狗掉了几颗乳牙,在咬胶玩具上留下小印。)