molar1
[moh-ler]
- 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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- adapted for grinding, as teeth.
- 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
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for molars
Contemporary Examples
We have teeth that allow us to grind plants (molars) or tear flesh (incisors).
Historical Examples
The hind teeth, consisting of premolars and molars, are used for grinding.
The Meaning of EvolutionSamuel Christian Schmucker
The state of the alveoli and the teeth, shows that the molars had not yet pierced the gum.
On Some Fossil Remains of ManThomas H. Huxley
After filling thirty-eight molars in this way I stopped for developments.
Tin Foil and Its Combinations for Filling TeethHenry L. Ambler
They crush or grind the food, and are hence called “molars.”
There are twenty teeth; in each jaw there are eight molars and two incisors.
In Beaver WorldEnos Abijah Mills
molar1
- any of the 12 broad-faced grinding teeth in man
- a corresponding tooth in other mammals
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- of, relating to, or designating any of these teeth
- used for or capable of grinding
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Word Origin
C16: from Latin molāris for grinding, from mola millstone
molar2
- (of a physical quantity) per unit amount of substancemolar volume
- (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 molars
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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molar
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
molar1
[mō′lər]
- Relating to a mole.
- Containing one mole of solute per liter of solution.
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molar2
[mō′lər]
- 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.
molars
[(moh-luhrz)]
The teeth with broad surfaces at the back of the mouth that serve to grind food. Including the wisdom teeth, adults have twelve molars — six on the top and six on the bottom. (Compare incisors and canines.)
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.