sb. pl. [mod.L., f. ēdentātus, f. ēdentāre to render toothless, knock a person’s teeth out, f. ē out + dent-em tooth.] An order of Mammalia characterized by the absence of front teeth; represented by the Ant-eater, Armadillo, Sloth, etc.
1834. McMurtrie, Cuvier’s Anim. Kingd., 92. The Edentata, or quadrupeds without front teeth.
1859. Darwin, Orig. Spec., iv. (1878), 99. The three lowest orders of mammals, namely, marsupials, edentata, and rodents.
