English Explanatory Dictionary

teat

English dictionary entry

Meanings

noun
  1. The projection of a mammary gland from which, on female therian mammals, milk is secreted.
  2. Something resembling a teat, such as a small protuberance or nozzle.
  3. An artificial nipple used for bottle-feeding infants.
name
  1. A surname from German.

Pronunciation

/tiːt/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-teat.wav LL-Q1860 (eng)-Wodencafe-teat.wav

Word forms

teat teats

Etymology

From Middle English tete, from Old French tete (“teat”) (compare French tette), from Frankish *tittā, *tittō, from Proto-Germanic *tittaz (“teat; nipple; breast”), ultimately of expressive origin. Compare Old High German zizza ("teat"; modern German Zitze), whence also Italian zizza (“teat”). It heavily displaced Old English titt, a cognate of the same origin, which survives as tit, but in more vulgar use. Compare Dutch tiet and German Zitze (“teat”).

Related words

breast mammary gland tit udder

Derived words

cold as a witch's teat glass teat hind teat mare's teat mare's teat grape witch's teat
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