mandible

[ man-duh-buh l ]
/ ˈmæn də bəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR mandible ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the bone of the lower jaw.
(in birds)
  1. the lower part of the bill.
  2. mandibles, the upper and lower parts of the bill.
(in arthropods) one of the first pair of mouthpart appendages, typically a jawlike biting organ, but styliform or setiform in piercing and sucking species.

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Origin of mandible

1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin mandibula jaw, equivalent to mandi- (combining form of Latin mandere to chew) + -bula noun suffix of means

Words nearby mandible

mandelbrot set, mandelic acid, mandelstam, mandeville, mandi, mandible, mandibular, mandibular arch, mandibular cartilage, mandibular dentition, mandibular disease
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to mandible

mouth, bone, snout, orifice, muzzle, jowl, maxilla, proboscis, projection, nozzle, bill, prow, nib, neb, pecker, cheek, dewlap, point, jaw

Example sentences from the Web for mandible

British Dictionary definitions for mandible

mandible
/ (ˈmændɪbəl) /

noun

the lower jawbone in vertebratesSee jaw (def. 1)
either of a pair of mouthparts in insects and other arthropods that are usually used for biting and crushing food
ornithol either the upper or the lower part of the bill, esp the lower part

Derived forms of mandible

mandibular (mænˈdɪbjʊlə), adjectivemandibulate (mænˈdɪbjʊlɪt, -ˌleɪt), noun, adjective

Word Origin for mandible

C16: via Old French from Late Latin mandibula jaw, from mandere to chew
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

Medical definitions for mandible

mandible
[ măn′də-bəl ]

n.

A U-shaped bone forming the lower jaw, articulating with the temporal bone on either side.submaxilla

Other words from mandible

man•dib′u•lar (-dĭb′yə-lər) adj.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for mandible

mandible
[ măn′də-bəl ]

The lower part of the jaw in vertebrate animals. See more at skeleton.
One of the pincerlike mouthparts of insects and other arthropods.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.