| v. t. | 1. | To catch; to seize, as with the teeth; to lay hold of; to gripe; to clutch. |
| 2. | To enable to catch or tear; to furnish with fangs. |
| n. | 1. | (Zool.) The tusk of an animal, by which the prey is seized and held or torn; a long pointed tooth; esp., one of the usually erectile, venomous teeth of serpents. Also, one of the falcers of a spider. |
| 2. | Any shoot or other thing by which hold is taken. |
| 3. | (Anat.) The root, or one of the branches of the root, of a tooth. See Tooth. |
| 4. | (Mining) A niche in the side of an adit or shaft, for an air course. |
| 5. | (Mech.) A projecting tooth or prong, as in a part of a lock, or the plate of a belt clamp, or the end of a tool, as a chisel, where it enters the handle. |
| 6. | (Naut.) The valve of a pump box. |