Plural of cementum; the bone-like material that covers the root of a tooth.
From Latin caementum meaning quarried stone or cement. In dentistry, it was named for its cement-like function in bonding teeth to bone.
Cementum is one of those words that shows how dentists borrowed construction terminology—they use the word 'cement' for the stuff that holds your teeth in place, just like real cement holds buildings together.
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