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molar1

[moh-ler]
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noun
  1. Also called molar tooth. a tooth having a broad biting surface adapted for grinding, being one of twelve in humans, with three on each side of the upper and lower jaws.
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adjective
  1. adapted for grinding, as teeth.
  2. pertaining to such teeth.
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Origin of molar1

1535–45; < Latin molāris grinder, short for (dēns) molāris grinding (tooth), equivalent to mol(a) millstone + -āris -ar1

molar2

[moh-ler]
adjective
  1. Physics. pertaining to a body of matter as a whole, as contrasted with molecular and atomic.
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Origin of molar2

1860–65; < Latin mōl(ēs) a mass + -ar1

molar3

[moh-ler]
adjective Chemistry.
  1. pertaining to a solution containing one mole of solute per liter of solution.
  2. noting or pertaining to gram-molecular weight.
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Origin of molar3

First recorded in 1860–65; mole4 + -ar1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

ivory, snag, tush, tusk, molar, premolar, fang, cuspid, bicuspid, incisor, eyetooth, dicer, mincer, axe, point, canine, tine, dent, grinder, serration

Examples from the Web for molar

Historical Examples

  • A molar, a bicuspid, a canine, and an incisor were laid in succession on the table.

    Oh, You Tex!

    William Macleod Raine

  • Antolycus means his molar—his grinding tooth is set on edge.

  • The degree of ionization of 0.5 molar FeSO4 is taken as 22%.

  • The occurrence is extremely unusual in the other molar teeth of modern men.

    Prehistoric Man

    W. L. H. Duckworth

  • But the mandible is wanting, and the molar teeth of the upper set are absent.

    Prehistoric Man

    W. L. H. Duckworth

British Dictionary definitions for molar

molar1

noun
  1. any of the 12 broad-faced grinding teeth in man
  2. a corresponding tooth in other mammals
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adjective
  1. of, relating to, or designating any of these teeth
  2. used for or capable of grinding
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Word Origin

C16: from Latin molāris for grinding, from mola millstone

molar2

adjective
  1. (of a physical quantity) per unit amount of substancemolar volume
  2. (not recommended in technical usage) (of a solution) containing one mole of solute per litre of solution
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Word Origin

C19: from Latin mōlēs a mass
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

Word Origin and History for molar

n.

"grinding tooth," mid-14c., from Latin molaris dens "grinding tooth," from mola "millstone," from PIE root *mel- "to rub, grind" (see mill (n.1)). As an adjective in this sense from 1620s. In Old English they were cweornteð "quern-teeth."

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adj.

in chemistry, "pertaining to one mole," 1902, from mole (4) + -ar.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
molar in Science

molar1

[mō′lər]
Chemistry
  1. Relating to a mole.
  2. Containing one mole of solute per liter of solution.
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molar2

[mō′lər]
  1. Any of the teeth located toward the back of the jaws, having broad crowns for grinding food. Adult humans have 12 molars.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.