dentada

Dentada is the feminine form of the Spanish adjective dentado, meaning toothed or serrated. It is used in Spanish-language texts to describe edges, margins, or surfaces that have tooth-like projections or notches.

In practice, dentada appears across several fields. In anatomy and medicine, a dentada margin or edge refers to a border that is not smooth but shows tooth-like projections. In botany, leaves or other plant parts may have a dentada margin, describing a serrated or scalloped outline. In zoology and paleontology, dentada can describe features such as serrated teeth, denticles on shells, or other tooth-like structures on organisms or their fossils. In geology or geography, coastlines, rock faces, or geological formations can be described as dentada when their outlines resemble a serrated edge.

Etymology and related terms: dentada derives from the Latin dens, dent- meaning “tooth,” with the suffix -ada forming the feminine adjective. Related terms in Spanish include dentado (masculine) and dentado/dentada as descriptors used alongside nouns like margen, borde, or superficie.

Usage notes: dentada is descriptive and qualitative, not a specific diagnosis or measurement. It is commonly found in field guides, anatomical descriptions, and taxonomic keys, where precise morphology matters for identification or comparison. See also dentate (English), serrate, and dentition as broader related concepts.