premaxilla

American  

[pree-mak-sil-uh] / ˌpri mækˈsɪl ə /

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

PLURAL

premaxillae

1. one of a pair of bones of the upper jaw of vertebrates, situated in front of and between the maxillary bones.

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premaxilla British  

/ ˌpriːmækˈsɪlə /

noun

1. either of two bones situated in the upper jaw between the maxillary bones

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Other Word Forms

• premaxillary adjective

Etymology

Origin of premaxilla

From the New Latin word praemaxilla, dating back to 1865–70. See pre-, maxilla

Example Sentences

Qilinyu had three bones, the dentary, maxilla and premaxilla, that characterize the modern vertebrate jaw seen in bony fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals, though they are absent in the cartilaginous sharks and rays.

From Reuters

The maxilla and premaxilla are bones of the upper jaw.

From Reuters

"In us, the lower jaw is made entirely from the dentary. Most of the upper jaw is composed from the maxilla, but the bit that carries the incisor teeth is the premaxilla," Ahlberg said.

From Reuters

They reasoned that reptile and dinosaur snouts develop from premaxilla in a similar way, and that the developmental pathways that form the snout were altered in the course of bird evolution.

From Nature

But in the early stages of bird evolution, the twin bones that formed the snout in dinosaurs and reptiles — called the premaxilla — grew longer and joined together to produce what is now the beak.

From Nature