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premolar

[pree-moh-ler]
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adjective
  1. situated in front of the molar teeth.
  2. pertaining to a milk tooth that will later be supplanted by a permanent molar.
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noun
  1. a premolar tooth.
  2. Also called bicuspid. (in humans) any of eight teeth located in pairs on each side of the upper and lower jaws between the cuspids and molar teeth.
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Origin of premolar

First recorded in 1835–45; pre- + molar1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

ivorysnagtushtuskmolarpremolarfangcuspidbicuspidincisoreyetoothpointcaninetinedentgrinderserrationdenticlecarnassialdentation

Examples from the Web for premolar

Historical Examples

  • The representative of the first premolar is minute and soon shod.

    The World's Greatest Books - Volume 15 - Science

    Various

  • In the Hapalidae, as in the Cebidae, there is a third premolar, but the molars are reduced to 2/2.

    The Vertebrate Skeleton

    Sidney H. Reynolds

  • There is but one incisor, but the premolar and molar series are complete.

  • It has lost only one premolar, and has therefore forty teeth in all.

  • The third premolar is lacking from each side of both the upper and the lower jaws of each individual of this series from Álamos.

British Dictionary definitions for premolar

premolar

adjective
  1. situated before a molar tooth
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noun
  1. any one of eight bicuspid teeth in the human adult, two situated on each side of both jaws between the first molar and the canine
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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 premolar

n.

"premolar tooth," 1841, from pre- + molar. Related: Premolars.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
premolar in Medicine

premolar

(prē-mō′lər)
n.
  1. Any of eight bicuspid teeth located in pairs on each side of the upper and lower jaws behind the canines and in front of the molars.bicuspid
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
premolar in Science

premolar

[prē-mō′lər]
  1. Any of eight bicuspid teeth in mammals, arranged in pairs on both sides of the upper and lower jaws between the canines and molars. Premolars are used to tear and grind food.
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The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.