buccal
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the cheek.
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pertaining to the sides of the mouth or to the mouth; oral.
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Dentistry. directed toward the cheek.
adjective
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of or relating to the cheek
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of or relating to the mouth; oral
buccal lesion
Usage
What does buccal mean? Buccal means relating to or located in the cheeks. It can also mean relating to or located on the sides of the mouth or in the mouth. Buccal is a technical anatomical term used in the context of medicine. When it means located in the mouth, buccal is synonymous with oral, which is a much more common term. Buccal is used in anatomical terms like buccal cavity, buccal gland, and buccal nerve. Example: Buccal fat pads fill the hollow area in the cheeks.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of buccal
First recorded in 1825–35; from New Latin buccālis, equivalent to Latin bucca “cheek, mouth” + -ālis adjective suffix; see origin at bucco-, -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For the 1968 Games in Sydney the Buccal Smear chromosome test was introduced.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2010
By the time the Buccal Smear test was dropped it was thought to throw up an overall false positivity rate of around 20%.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2010
Buccal: relating to the mouth cavity; rarely to the cheeks.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
Buccal region of the same from below; lambda, labrum.
From Facts and Arguments for Darwin by Muller, Fritz
Buccal fissure: the mouth slit or opening: the opening on each side of the mentum.
From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.