Definitions

bāo (of a bucktooth) to protrude; to stick out

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 齿 represents the meaning and represents the sound. Simplified form of .

Semantic: 齿 Phonetic:

About

, the simplified form of , denotes protruding teeth or an overbite and functions as both an adjective and a descriptive noun. It is a phono-semantic compound: 齿 (simplified from ) provides the dental meaning, while supplies the pronunciation bāo. The character appears almost exclusively in the compound 龅牙 (bāoyá), meaning buckteeth or projecting front teeth, and its narrow anatomical reference leaves no room for extended or figurative senses.