Toothless
/ˈtuθləs/ adj
adj ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
Adjective
- 1 Having no teeth.
"a toothless old man"
- 2 Weak; having no ability to enforce something. figuratively
"The treaty was toothless because of the lack of participation from the undersigned."
Adjective
- 1 lacking necessary force for effectiveness wordnet
- 2 lacking teeth wordnet
Example
More examples"I'm not a toothless barking dog."
Etymology
From Middle English tothles, from Old English tōþlēas, from Proto-Germanic *tanþlausaz (“toothless”), equivalent to tooth + -less. Cognate with Dutch tandeloos (“toothless”), German Low German tannlos (“toothless”), German zahnlos (“toothless”), Danish tandløs (“toothless”), Swedish tandlös (“toothless”), Icelandic tannlaus (“toothless”).