How to Say "Toothpick" in French

cure-dent

/kyʁ.dɑ̃/masculine

The English phrase "toothpick" is translated into French as cure-dent.

The word cure-dent is a noun used to describe a small stick used for removing food residue from the area between the teeth.

Meaning: stick for removing food residue from the area between the teeth (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

The plural form of the word is cure-dents, which is formed by adding an s to the second part of the compound.

/kyʁ.dɑ̃/ (2 syllables)

The word cure in cure-dent is not related to 'healing' or 'medical cure', but comes from the Latin 'curare' meaning 'to take care of'.
In some French-speaking regions, using a cure-dent in public or at a table is considered quite unrefined and can be seen as a breach of etiquette.
French has a specific word cure-oreilles for an ear pick, following the exact same linguistic structure as cure-dent.

Donne-moi un cure-dents, s'il te plaît.
Give me a toothpick, please.
Tatoeba #1813287 by Rovo, translation #13573010 by rul
Donne-moi un cure-dent.
Give me a toothpick.
Tatoeba #6324168 by Aiji, translation #440083 by CM
Tom a utilisé un cure-dent.
Tom used a toothpick.
Tatoeba #10052984 by siyanapavlova, translation #1482611 by Spamster
Pendant la soirée, Julien sortit un pique-dents de sa poche pour retirer les restes de nourriture entre ses dents.
During the party, Julien took out a toothpick from his pocket to remove food debris between his teeth.
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Manon and Nathan are finishing a meal at a restaurant.

Manon

Est-ce que tu as un cure-dent ?
Do you have a toothpick?
Nathan

Non, je n'en ai pas sur moi.
No, I don't have one on me.
Manon

Je vais demander un cure-dent au serveur.
I will ask the waiter for a toothpick.
Nathan

C'est une bonne idée, Manon.
That is a good idea, Manon.

Sources

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