MAXILLAE

Noun

maxillae

plural of maxilla

Source: Wiktionary


MAXILLA

Max*il"la, n.; pl. Maxillæ. Etym: [L., dim. of mala jaw, jawbone.]

1. (Anat.) (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. (Zoöl.)

Definition: One of the lower or outer jaws of arthropods.

Note: 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.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

22 February 2025

ANALYSIS

(noun) the use of closed-class words instead of inflections: e.g., ‘the father of the bride’ instead of ‘the bride’s father’


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