An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Zahn

by Friedrich Kluge

Zahn, m., ‘tooth,’ from the equiv. MidHG. zan, zant (d), OHG. zan, zand, m.; common to Teut. and also to Aryan. Comp. OSax. and Du. tand, AS. tôþ (from *tanþ), E. tooth, Goth. tunþus. Teut. tanþ-, tunþ- (from Aryan dont-, dnt-), is primit. allied to Lat. dens (stem dent-), Gr. ὁδούς (stem ὀδοντ-), Sans. dat (nom. sing. dan), danta, Lith. dantìs, OIr. dét, ‘tooth.’ The Aryan primit. stem dont- (dnt-) is in form the pres. partic. of the root ed, ‘to eat,’ with apocope of the initial vowel (see essen); hence Zahn is lit. ‘the eating organ’ (for the Teut. suffix of the pres. partic. -and-, -und-, see Feind, Freund, and Heiland). To this word Zinne is allied.