fang

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈfaŋ 

1

a

: a long sharp tooth: such as

(1)

: one by which an animal's prey is seized and held or torn

(2)

: one of the long hollow or grooved and often erectile teeth of a venomous snake

b

: one of the chelicerae of a spider at the tip of which a poison gland opens

2

: the root of a tooth or one of the processes or prongs into which a root divides

3

: a projecting tooth or prong

fanged

ˈfaŋd 

adjective

Fang

2 of 2

noun (2)

ˈfaŋ  ˈfäŋ 

variants or less commonly Fan

ˈfan  ˈfän 

plural Fang or Fangs also Fan or Fans

1

: a member of a Bantu-speaking people of northern Gabon, mainland Equatorial Guinea, and southern Cameroon

2

: the language of the Fang people

Examples of fang in a Sentence

Noun (1)

the fangs of a rattlesnake

a tiger baring its fangs

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

For instance, think about insects’ antennae, scorpions’ pincers and spiders’ fangs. —Margherita Bassi, Smithsonian Magazine, 31 Oct. 2024

Heidi Klum as a red witch in 2004 This bold costume saw Klum donning an eye-popping mane of bright red hair, wearing vampire fangs and a fabulous hat, and, just for fun, sporting skeleton bones all over her body. —Madeline Boardman, EW.com, 30 Oct. 2024

Finally, the combination of a small incision, made by potentially self-sharpening fangs, and an anticoagulant in their saliva allows these bats to feed on unsuspecting prey. —Sebastian Stockmaier, The Conversation, 28 Oct. 2024

Sink your fangs into some colorful local history courtesy of The Enquirer's archives logged on Newspapers.com. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, that which is taken, from Old English; akin to Old High German fang seizure, Old English fōn to seize — more at pact

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1555, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun (2)

1861, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

fang

noun

ˈfaŋ 

1

a

: one of the long sharp teeth which are used by an animal to seize, hold, and tear apart its prey

b

: one of the long hollow or grooved teeth of a poisonous snake

2

: a root of a tooth

fanged

ˈfaŋd 

adjective

Medical Definition

fang

noun

ˈfaŋ 

1

a

: a long sharp tooth: as

(1)

: one by which an animal's prey is seized and held or torn

(2)

: one of the long hollow or grooved and often erectile teeth of a venomous snake

b

: one of a spider's chelicerae at the tip of which a poison gland opens

2

: the root of a tooth or one of the processes or prongs into which a root divides

fanged

ˈfaŋd 

adjective