Wordalso written bicuspid tooth, bicuspid meaning, what does bicuspid mean, premolar, bicuspids

bicuspid

Meaning

A bicuspid is a premolar tooth with two cusps (points), sitting between the canines and the molars; as an adjective, bicuspid describes a body part that has two points, such as a bicuspid aortic valve.

Meanings of “bicuspid”

  1. One of the premolar teeth in humans—between the canine and the molars—commonly called a bicuspid because of its two-pointed crown; Cambridge lists the synonym premolar.12

    Tone
    Anatomy / dentistry; everyday dental-office English also uses premolar.
    Where you’ll see it
    Searches for bicuspid meaning and bicuspid tooth usually want dental anatomy. MeSH defines bicuspid as one of the eight permanent teeth (two on either side in each jaw) between the canines (cuspid) and the molars, used for grinding and crushing; it notes upper premolars have two cusps while lower ones may have one to three (Jablonski via MeSH).

    Examples

    • The orthodontist discussed options for straightening the bicuspids.
    • Adults typically have eight premolars, often called bicuspids.
    • The upper bicuspid showed two clear cusps on the crown.

    Examples are written for this site to show typical use. They are not quotes.

  2. Adjective (anatomy): having a shape with two points.12

    Tone
    Anatomy specialized.
    Where you’ll see it
    Cambridge’s adjective sense covers body parts with two points. A common medical collocation is bicuspid aortic valve (two cusps instead of the usual three)—MeSH lists related bicuspid aortic valve disease separately from the tooth sense.

    Examples

    • Other common heart defects include a bicuspid aortic valve.
    • The specimen was described as bicuspid under the scope.

Usage notes

  • Bicuspid tooth and premolar refer to the same dental class in Cambridge; US dental talk often says bicuspid, many textbooks prefer premolar.
  • Do not confuse tooth bicuspids with bicuspid aortic valve disease—the shared shape word links them, not the same structure.

Origin

Origin not verified.

Sources

  1. bicuspid — Cambridge Dictionary

    dictionary.cambridge.orgAccessed Back to text

    https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/bicuspid

  2. Bicuspid — MeSH / NCBI

    ncbi.nlm.nih.govAccessed Back to text

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/?term=Bicuspid