maxillary
UK /makˈsɪl.ə.ɹi/ · US /ˈmæk.səˌlɛɹ.i/ adjective, noun
Forms maxillaries maxillar
- adjective (anatomy) Of or relating to the jaw or jawbone.
- adjective (zootomy) Of or pertaining to the maxillae of an arthropod.
- noun (anatomy) A tooth growing from the upper jawbone.
Synonyms
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin māxillāris (“of or belonging to the jaw”), from māxilla (“the jawbone, jaw”) + -āris (“-ar, -ary”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to maxilla + -ary.
Webster’s 1913
- adjective Pertaining to either the upper or the lower jaw, but now usually applied to the upper jaw only.
- adjective The principal maxillary bone; the maxilla.
Etymology [L. maxillaris, fr. maxilla jawbone, jaw: cf. F. maxillaire.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “maxillary”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details