Medical Dictionary

materia alba

noun pl ma·te·ria al·ba \mə-ˌtir-ē-ə-ˈal-bə\

Medical Definition of MATERIA ALBA

:  a soft whitish deposit of epithelial cells, white blood cells, and microorganisms especially at the gumline

Browse

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.
Test your vocab with our fun, fast game
Ailurophobia, and 9 other unusual fears