Word
fluoride
Phoneticsflu·o·ride
US/ˈfɫɔˌɹaɪd/
UK/flˈɔːɹaɪd/
Definition
n. a chemical substance often added to toothpaste and drinking water to help keep your teeth strong and prevent decay.
n. a chemical compound containing fluorine, typically used in public health to strengthen tooth enamel and reduce dental caries.
Examples
“Most dentists recommend using a toothpaste that contains fluoride.”
“The city council debated whether to continue adding fluoride to the local water supply to improve public dental health.”
“While fluoride is naturally occurring in many water sources, its concentration is often adjusted in municipal systems to reach levels proven to inhibit the demineralisation of tooth enamel.”
Examples
simple
“Most dentists recommend using a toothpaste that contains fluoride.”
contextual
“The city council debated whether to continue adding fluoride to the local water supply to improve public dental health.”
complex
“While fluoride is naturally occurring in many water sources, its concentration is often adjusted in municipal systems to reach levels proven to inhibit the demineralisation of tooth enamel.”
Usage
Uncountable in its general sense; can be countable when referring to specific chemical salts in a laboratory context.
Real-World Examples
“Recently, James Tour's lab at Rice University developed a method to capture fluoride from these waste streams and recycle it into a useful reagent, silver fluoride, that could be used in other manufacturing processes.” Etymology
From fluor(ine) + -ide.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Domain
Scan code
englishreference.com/q/fluoride