Why not teeth paste? Why tooth paste?

Question

Teeth are not a verb, so it can not have second form. What is tooth? Verb, Adjective, Adverb or what it is?
Please give me Grammatical answer of this.

Answer 1

"Tooth" here in an attributive noun, that is, a noun functioning much like an adjective. As is typical of attributive nouns it takes a singular form (rather than the plural "teeth").

Here's the bigger picture:

"Toothpaste" is a compound noun, formed from the nouns "tooth" and "paste". The main noun is the second one, the first one ('tooth') which modifies or describes it --thus functioning much as adjectives do-- is called an "attributive noun". "Attributive" means it gives us an "attribute" or characteristic of the second word.

But I am not quite sure why people are so surprised that the first part is "tooth" instead of the plural "teeth". In fact, this is the COMMON pattern for compound nouns that are constructed this way. The point of the 'attributive noun' is not focused on 'how many' but on characterizing the TYPE of thing it is related to or used for.

Maybe it will help to see other examples of this sort of compound which work exactly the same way, that is, where the main object is used for or related to more-than-one of the first ('attributive') noun.

For example, compounds of things used for PLURAL body parts and clothing :

earmuffs
eyeglasses
footrest
armload
finger food
nail polish
shoe rack
glove box

Some other examples. Note that in ALL these cases, just as in those already listed, the most natural way of explaining the compound will involve the PLURAL form of the first noun. (E.g., ear muffs are for a PAIR of ears, eyeglasses for a pair of eyes, finger food is handled with the fingerS, an apple tree is a tree on which appleS grow, a toystore sell toyS, etc.)

apple tree
grapevine
banana bread
potato salad
tomato soup
cracker barrel

dog pound
hen house
mousetrap

bicycle path
pencil holder
notebook
keyboard
bookshelf
record player

letter carrier
cardsharp
car salesman

movie theater
toystore
flower show

song contest
band competition
word order

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_compound#Compound_nouns
http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/compounds.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjective#Nominal_use_of_adjectives

http://209.161.33.50/dictionary/attributive
http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O29-ATTRIBUTIVENOUN.html

Answer 2

Teeth Tooth Singular Plural

Answer 3

The english language is funny in this sense. If it sounds better phonetically such as this word (which is not a compund word)then it becomes the actual word. Teeth paste sounds off and makes more phonetic sense to say tooth paste.Such words as windshield wipers (2), flyswattwer (1), mouse trap (1), dreamcatcher (1), earmuffs (2) lice shampoo (several) all use the proper singular or plural noun to indicate their use. However, you're right tooth paste cleans not just one tooth but all teeth. This is a faux word because it is not gramtically correct. But I don't know exactly why, I am not a linguist. In spanish the word "pasta de dientes" is equivalent to "teeth paste" and the french say the shortened form of pâte dentifrice "dentifrice" which means "tooth gel" or "teeth gel" lol. I don't know maybe an english teacher or an etymologist can anwer this one.

Answer 4

It is used as an adjective to describe the type of paste. Why not teeth? Who knows? It was probably started as an ad by someone who knew little grammar.

Answer 5

It's not a question of a verb form; it's a question of the singular and plural of the noun "tooth." "Tooth" is a noun; its plural is "teeth," so it is a noun that does not form its plural simply by adding an "s," but by changing its spelling. It's a bit of our heritage from the German langauge.

Answer 6

English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig And why is it that writers write but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn't it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

Answer 7

Tooth paste because that's the way it is ~~~ reason, poetic license!!!

Dictionary says 'tooth' is a noun ~~~ teeth is a verb.

But very humorous and an interesting thought!!!

Answer 8

Tooth would be the subject of the title, the paste is for your tooth.

Answer 9

look how long ago this was, it is just poor grammar but we all know what it means.