premolar

American  

[pree-moh-ler] / priˈmoʊ lər /

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

• premolars
  plural

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.

premolar British  

/ priːˈməʊlə /

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

premolar Scientific  

/ 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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• premolars
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of premolar

First recorded in 1835–45; pre- + molar ¹

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

premolar premolars

The fossil includes unusually large canine and premolar teeth, molars with rounded and strongly textured chewing surfaces, and a particularly sturdy jaw.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

Until recently, the only reliable way to determine the age of a polar bear has been to extract a premolar and inspect its growth rings.

From New York Times ● Aug. 10, 2023

Mr. Biden began experiencing dental pain in his lower right premolar on Sunday, according to a letter from White House physician Kevin O’Connor.

From Washington Times ● Jun. 12, 2023

Biden’s personal physician, Kevin O’Connor, said in a memo released by the White House that Biden reported the pain in his lower right premolar on Sunday.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 12, 2023

In the Hippoidea there is generally the full series of 44 teeth, but the first premolar is often deciduous or wanting in the lower or in both jaws.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 7 "Equation" to "Ethics" by Various

Nor the “bizarrely specialized” family of carnivorous marsupials, Malleodectidae, which used their massive ball peen-like third premolars to crush snails.

From Salon ● Feb. 17, 2025

For example, bats with long jaws -- like nectar-feeders -- or intermediate jaws, like many insect-eaters, tended to have the usual complement of three premolars and three molars on each side of the jaw.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 26, 2023

One such group—the multituberculates—flourished in the Cretaceous underworld, using their saw-blade premolars and gnawing incisors to devour a new type of food: fruits and flowers.

From Scientific American ● May 17, 2022

Toasted just enough to bring out its subtly nutty flavor and, thus, pebbly enough to reduce one of my favorite premolars into a crumble of toothy dust.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 27, 2021

Cercoleptes again resembles Leptarctus in having only three premolars in the lower jaw; the middle one, however, has only a single cusp upon the crown, whereas Leptarctus has two.

From On The Affinities of Leptarctus primus of Leidy American Museum of Natural History, Vol. VI, Article VIII, pp. 229-331. by Jacob Lawson Wortman

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