metagnathous

American

[muh-tag-nuh-thuhs] / məˈtæg nə θəs /

adjective

Ornithology. having the tips of the mandibles crossed, as the crossbills.
Entomology. having biting mouthparts in the larval stage and sucking mouthparts in the adult stage.

metagnathous British

/ mɪˈtæɡnəθəs /

adjective

(of the beaks of birds such as the crossbill) having crossed tips

"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

metagnathism

noun

Etymology

Origin of metagnathous

First recorded in 1870–75; meta- + -gnathous

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023