mandible

[ man-duh-buh l ]

/ ˈmæn də bəl /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR mandible ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the bone of the lower jaw.

(in birds)

the lower part of the bill.
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.

Words related to mandible

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

Words nearby mandible

mandelbrot set, mandelic acid, mandelstam, mandeville, mandi, mandible, mandibular, mandibular arch, mandibular cartilage, mandibular dentition, mandibular disease

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for mandible

Before the close of the Zoa condition a small and unjointed palp appears on the mandible.
The Works of Francis Maitland Balfour, Volume II (of 4)|Francis Maitland Balfour
The mandible is very deep in the middle, and is drawn out into a long spout-like process in front.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
The mandible has a long and strong symphysis, and its angle is not inflected.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
Rami of mandible anchylosed together and suture largely obliterated.
The Beaked Whales of the Family Ziphidae|Frederick True

The angular processes are remarkably short, especially in relation to the length of the mandible.
Evolution and Classification of the Pocket Gophers of the Subfamily Geomyinae|Robert J. Russell

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

Medicine 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.

Science 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.