Danta¹

a tooth, a tusk, fang, esp. an elephant’s tusk; ivory Vin.ii.117 (nāga-d. a pin of ivory); Kp ii. (as one of the taca-pañcaka, or 5 dermatic constituents of the body, viz. kesā, lomā nakhā d. taco, see detailed description at Kp-a.43 sq.); pankadanta rajassira “with sand between his teeth & dust on his head” (of a wayfarer) Snp.980; Ja.iv.362, Ja.iv.371; MN.i.242; Ja.i.61; Ja.ii.153; Vism.251; Vv-a.104 (īsā˚ long tusks); Pv-a.90, Pv-a.152 (fang); Sdhp.360.

• -ajina ivory MN.ii.71 (gloss: dhanadhaññaṃ);
• -aṭṭhika “teeth-bone,” ivory of teeth i.e. the tooth as such Vism.21.
• -āvaraṇa the lip (lit. protector of teeth Ja.iv.188; Ja.vi.590; Dhp-a.i.387.
• -ullahakaṃ (MN.iii.167 see ullahaka;
• -kaṭṭha a tooth-pick Vin.i.46 = Vin.ii.223 Vin.i.51, Vin.i.61; Vin.ii.138; AN.iii.250; Ja.i.232; Ja.ii.25; Ja.vi.75; Mil.15; Dhp-a.ii.184; Vv-a.63;
• -kāra an artisan in ivory ivory-worker DN.i.78; Ja.i.320; Mil.331; Vism.336
• -kūta tooth of a maimed bullock (?) (thus taking kūṭa as kūṭa⁴, and equivalent to kūṭadanta), in phrase asanivicakkaṃ danta-kūṭaṃ DN.iii.44 = DN.iii.47, which has also puzzled the translators (cp. Dial. iii.40: “munching them all up together with that wheel-less thunderbolt of a jawbone,” with note: “the sentence is not clear”)
• -pāḷi row of teeth Vism.251;
• -poṇa tooth-cleaner, always combined with mukh’ odaka water for rinsing the teeth Vin.iii.51; Vin.iv.90, Vin.iv.233; Ja.iv.69; Mil.15; Snp-a.272. The C. on Pārāj. ii.4, 17, (Vin.iii.51) gives 2 kinds of dantapoṇa, viz. chinna & acchinna.;
• -mūla the root of a tooth; the gums Ja.v.172;
• -vakkalika a kind of ascetics (peeling the bark of trees with their teeth? DN-a.i.271;
• -vaṇṇa ivory-coloured, ivory-white Vv.45#10
• -valaya an iv. bangle Dhp-a.i.226;
• -vikati a vessel of iv DN.i.78; MN.ii.18; Ja.i.320; Vism.336.
• -vikhādana biting with teeth, i.e. chewing Dhs.646, Dhs.740, Dhs.875;
• -vidaṃsaka (either = vidassaka or to be read ˚ghaṃsaka) showing one’s teeth (or chattering?) AN.i.261 (of hasita, laughter)
• -sampatti splendour of teeth Dhp-a.i.390.

Sk. danta fr. acc. dantaṃ of dan, gen. datah = Lat. dentis. Cp. Av. dantan, Gr. ὀδόντα, Lat. dentem Oir. dēt; Goth. tunpus, Ohg. zand, Ags. tōot (= tooth & tusc (= tusk); orig. ppr. to *ed in atti to eat = “the biter.” Cp. dāṭhā

Danta²

adjective made of ivory, or ivory coloured Ja.vi.223 (yāna = dantamaya).

• -kāsāva ivory-white & yellow Vin.i.287;
• -valaya see danta¹.

Sk. dānta

Danta³

tamed, controlled, restrained Vin.ii.196; SN.i.28, SN.i.65, SN.i.141 (nāgo va danto carati anejo); AN.i.6 (cittaṃ dantaṃ); Iti.123 (danto damayataṃ seṭṭho); Snp.370, Snp.463, Snp.513, Snp.624; Dhp.35, Dhp.142 (= catumagga-niyamena d. Dhp-a.iii.83), Dhp.321 sq. = Cnd.475
■ sudanta well-tamed, restrained Snp.23; Dhp.159 Dhp.323.

• -bhūmi a safe place (= Nibbāna), or the condition of one who is tamed SN.iii.84; Cnd.475 (in continuation of Dhp.323); Dhp-a.iv.6.

Sk. dānta, pp. dāmyati to make, or to be tame, cp. Gr. δμητός, Lat. domitus. See dameti