toothed

Toothed is an adjective derived from tooth, used to describe something that has teeth or tooth-like projections. It is employed across biology, botany, geology, and technology to indicate the presence of a tooth-like structure or serration.

In biology, "toothed" refers to organisms that possess teeth or tooth-shaped parts, as opposed to toothless forms. Among mammals, toothed whales (Odontoceti) have functional teeth, while other large whales rely on baleen plates. In paleontology, many vertebrates, including most theropod dinosaurs, are described as toothed because they carried teeth throughout much of their life, though some lineages later developed beaks.

In botany, leaves can be described as toothed when their margins bear small, tooth-like projections; this is also referred to as dentate or serrate margins.

In engineering, "toothed" describes components with teeth that interlock, such as gears, cogwheels, or saw blades. A toothed wheel meshes with another gear; a toothed blade has serrations that aid cutting or grip.

See also: tooth, toothless, dentate, dentition, odontocete.