dentary

American  

[den-tuh-ree] / ˈdɛn tə ri /

noun

Zoology.

plural

dentaries

1. one of a pair of membrane bones that in lower vertebrates form the distal part of the lower jaws and in mammals comprise the mandible.

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Etymology

Origin of dentary

1820–30; < Latin dentārius of the teeth, equivalent to dent- (stem of dēns ) tooth + -ārius -ary

Example Sentences

In mammals, the dentary bone joins the skull at the squamosal bone, while in other vertebrates, the quadrate bone of the jaw joins with the articular bone of the skull.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The lower jaw of mammals consists of only one bone, the dentary.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

Replacement teeth on the maxillary and dentary are present in the buccal tissue on the medial side of the bones, whereas on the palatines and pterygoids, the replacement teeth are present laterally.

From A Revision of Snakes of the Genus Conophis (Family Colubridae, from Middle America) by Wellman, John

Abrasion of the sides of the inner maxillary and outer dentary teeth indicates that tooth-to-tooth contact did occur.

From The Adductor Muscles of the Jaw In Some Primitive Reptiles by Fox, Richard C.

The dentary bone bears 17 curved teeth that decrease in size posteriorly.

From Natural History of Cottonmouth Moccasin, Agkistrodon piscovorus (Reptilia) by Burkett, Ray D.