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metagnathous

American  
[muh-tag-nuh-thuhs] / məˈtæg nə θəs /

adjective

  1. Ornithology. having the tips of the mandibles crossed, as the crossbills.

  2. Entomology. having biting mouthparts in the larval stage and sucking mouthparts in the adult stage.

metagnathous British  
/ mɪˈtæɡnəθəs /

adjective

  1. (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

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.