toothbrush

Etymology

From tooth + brush. Compare Saterland Frisian Tuskebäärsel (“toothbrush”), West Frisian toskboarstel (“toothbrush”), Dutch tandenborstel (“toothbrush”), German Zahnbürste (“toothbrush”), Danish tandbørste (“toothbrush”), Swedish tandborste (“toothbrush”), Icelandic tannbursti (“toothbrush”).

noun

  1. A brush, used with toothpaste, for cleaning the teeth.

verb

  1. (transitive) To clean or scrub with a toothbrush.
    In Rome, a restorer toothbrushed away some candle-grime over God's Sistine Chapel eye to reveal an eyebrow of Groucho Marx proportion. 1997, Matthew Remski, Dying for Veronica
    I toothbrushed the stale rum stink from my mouth and stared at myself in the cabinet mirror. 2004, Iceberg Slim, Trick Baby

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