maxilla

Noun
US[mak-sil-uh]/mækˈsɪlə/3 syllables
Synonyms: upper jawupper jawbonemaxillary

Open English WordNet

Noun (1)maxillae

  1. the jaw in vertebrates that is fused to the craniumSynonyms: upper jawupper jawbonemaxillaryType of jawParts intermaxillary suture, hard palate
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Webster's Dictionary (1913)

Max·il′la noun; pl. Maxillae (#).

Origin: L., dim. of mala jaw, jawbone.

1. Anatomy (a) The bone of either the upper or the under jaw. (b) The bone, or principal bone, of the upper jaw, the bone of the lower jaw being the mandible. Now commonly used in this restricted sense.

2. Zoology One of the lower or outer jaws of arthropods.

☞ There are usually two pairs in Crustacea and one pair in insects. In certain insects they are not used as jaws, but may form suctorial organs. See Illust. under Lepidoptera, and Diptera.

Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913), from GCIDE 0.54

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