maxilla

[ mak-sil-uh ]
See synonyms for maxilla on Thesaurus.com
noun,plural max·il·lae [mak-sil-ee]. /mækˈsɪl i/.
  1. a jaw or jawbone, especially the upper.

  2. one of the paired appendages immediately behind the mandibles of arthropods.

Origin of maxilla

1
1670–80; <New Latin, special use of Latin maxilla lower jaw, diminutive of māla (<*maxlā) upper jaw, cheekbone

Words Nearby maxilla

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use maxilla in a sentence

  • Toes four, three front ones webbed; bill thin and blade like, the maxilla longer than the mandible; tail slightly forked.

British Dictionary definitions for maxilla

maxilla

/ (mækˈsɪlə) /


nounplural -lae (-liː)
  1. the upper jawbone in vertebrates: See jaw (def. 1)

  2. any member of one or two pairs of mouthparts in insects and other arthropods used as accessory jaws

Origin of maxilla

1
C17: New Latin, from Latin: jaw

Derived forms of maxilla

  • maxillar (mækˈsɪlə) or maxillary, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for maxilla

maxilla

[ măk-sĭlə ]


Plural maxillae (măk-sĭlē) maxillas
  1. The upper part of the jaw in vertebrate animals.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.