Fang

n.
1 a canine tooth, esp. of a dog or wolf.
2 the tooth of a venomous snake, by which poison is injected.
3 the root of a tooth or its prong.
4 Brit. colloq. a person's tooth.
Derivatives:
fanged adj. (also in comb.). fangless adj.
Etymology: OE f. ON fang f. a Gmc root = to catch

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I. \\ˈfaŋ\ verb (-ed/-ing/-s)

Etymology: Middle English fangen, fongen, alteration of fon (past feng, past participle fangen, fongen), from Old English fōn (past fēng, past participle fangen, fongen) — more at pact

transitive verb

1. now dialect Britain : to lay hold of : seize

2. obsolete

a. : to get into one's power or possession : snare, capture, obtain, procure

b. : to receive as a guest

c. : to set about : commence, undertake, begin

d. : take, consume

3. now dialect England : to receive as due : earn

intransitive verb

dialect England : to act as sponsor at baptism — usually followed by to

II. \\ˈfaŋ, ˈfaiŋ\ noun (-s)

Etymology: Middle English, from Old English; akin to Old High German fang seizure, Old Norse fang grip; derivative from the root of Old English fōn to seize

1. chiefly Scotland : booty, plunder

2. obsolete : a seizing or capture : catch; also : grip, grasp

3.

a. : a long sharp tooth by which the prey of an animal is seized and held or torn : a long pointed tooth; especially : one of the long, hollow or grooved, and often erectile, teeth of venomous serpents

b. : one of the chelicerae of a spicer at the tip of which a poison gland opens

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

5. : any of various sharp or elongated processes: as

a. dialect England : talon, claw

b. : a projecting tooth or prong (as on a lock, the plate of a belt clamp, or the end of a tool)

c. : a branch on a normally unbranched thickened tap root (as of a sugar beet or carrot)

6. obsolete : vang

III. transitive verb (-ed/-ing/-s)

1. : to strike with or as if with fangs

he jumped aside but the snake fanged him

the wind … fanged his ears — Countee Cullen

2. : to supply (a pump) with water so as to make it work : prime

3. : to fit with or as if with fangs

the gray rocks were fanged with long icicles — Victor Canning

IV. \\ˈfa]ŋ, ˈfä]\ noun also fan \\]n\ (plural fang or fangs or fan or fans)

Usage: usually capitalized

Etymology: French Fan, perhaps modification of Fang Mpangwe

1.

a. : an African people occupying the Ogowe basin, French Equatorial Africa and noted for their carved and painted religious masks

b. : a member of such people — called also Pahouin, Pangwe

2. : a Bantu language of the Fang people

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fang¹

—fanged /fangd/, adj. —fangless, adj. —fanglike, adj.

/fang/, n.

1. one of the long, sharp, hollow or grooved teeth of a venomous snake by which poison is injected.

2. a canine tooth.

3. a tooth resembling a dog's.

4. the root of a tooth.

5. one of the chelicerae of a spider.

6. a pointed, tapering part of a thing.

7. Mach. the tang of a tool.

[bef. 1050; ME, OE: something caught; c. G Fang capture, booty, ON fang a grasp, hold. See FANG²]

fang²

/fang/, v.t. Brit. Dial.

to seize; grab.

[bef. 900; ME fangen to seize, catch; c. OS fangan, G fangen, var. of proto-Gmc *fanhan-, whence OE fon, c. OS, OHG, Goth fahan, ON fa; akin to OE gefangian to fasten]

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fang /fang/

noun

1. The tooth of a wolf, dog, etc

2. The venom-tooth of a snake

3. The embedded part of a tooth, etc

4. A claw or talon (obsolete)

5. A point (of a tool)

6. A prong

7. A grip or catch (Shakespeare)

8. Grip or power of suction in a pump (Scot)

transitive verb (obsolete; Shakespeare phang)

1. To seize upon or catch

2. To prime a pump

ORIGIN: OE fang, from the same root as fōn to seize

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fanged adjective

Having fangs or anything resembling them

fangˈless adjective

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fang UK [fæŋ] US noun [countable] [singular fang plural fangs]

one of the long pointed teeth that some animals have, for example snakes, dogs, and tigers

Thesaurus: types and parts of teeth_hyponym

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fang «fang», noun, verb.

–n.

1. a long, pointed tooth of a dog, wolf, or snake. Poisonous snakes have hollow or grooved fangs for injecting venom. »

His fangs like spears in him uprose (Walter de la Mare).

2. a long, slender, tapering part of anything. The root of a tooth or the prong of a fork is called a fang.

–v.t.

Obsolete. to lay hold of; grasp; seize.

╂[earlier, a catching, Old English fang booty, prey]

Fang «fang», noun, plural Fangs or Fang.

1. a member of a people of Gabon, Cameroon, and Equatorial Guinea, noted for their artwork and elaborate mythology.

2. the Bantu language of this people. Also, Fan.

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[fang; fäng] 1.

(also Fan [fan; fän]) n. (pl. same or Fangs)

1) a member of a people inhabiting parts of Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon

2) the Bantu language of this people

2.

adj. of or relating to this people or their language

Origin:

French, probably from Fang Pangwe

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/ˈfæŋ/ noun, pl fangs [count]

: a long, sharp tooth

the fangs of a rattlesnake

a tiger baring/showing its fangs

fanged /ˈfæŋd/ adj

a fanged monster [=a monster that has fangs]

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fang [fang fangs] [fæŋ] [fæŋ] noun usually plural

either of two long sharp teeth at the front of the mouths of some animals, such as a snake or dog

 

Word Origin:

late Old English (denoting ‘booty’ or ‘spoils’), from Old Norse fang ‘capture, grasp’. A sense ‘trap, snare’ is recorded from the mid 16th cent.; both this and the original sense survive in Scots. The current sense (also mid 16th cent.) reflects the same idea of ‘something that catches and holds’.  

Example Bank:

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The snake sank its fangs into its victim.

•

The wolf growled and bared its sharp fangs.

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Fang

var. Fan n.³ and a.