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jugal

American  
[joo-guhl] / ˈdʒu gəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the cheek or the cheekbone.

  2. Entomology. pertaining to, involving, or situated near the jugum.


jugal British  
/ ˈdʒuːɡəl /

adjective

  1. of or relating to the zygomatic bone

"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

noun

  1. Also called: jugal bone. other names for zygomatic bone

"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

Other Word Forms


Etymology

Origin of jugal

1590–1600; < Latin jugālis, equivalent to jug ( um ) yoke 1 + -ālis -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.

See Examples For:

Scientists had misunderstood the jugal bone in snakes and snake relatives for generations, and the Najash fossils gave them direct evidence to correct the record.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026

"This research revolutionizes our understanding of the jugal bone in snake and non-snake lizards," said Michael Caldwell, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences and Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, and a co-author on the study.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026

Its skull shows that these early snakes still had a cheekbone, also called the jugal bone, a feature that has almost completely disappeared in living snakes.

From Science Daily ● Apr. 24, 2026

The situation in Apoda is different, but postfrontal and jugal should be noted as bones retained in this order while lost in the others.

From The Ancestry of Modern Amphibia: A Review of the Evidence by Theodore H. (Theodore Hildreth) Eaton

The masseter probably arose from the quadratojugal, the jugal, and ventral parts of the squamosal, although scars on the quadratojugal and jugal are lacking.

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

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