maxilla

[ mak-sil-uh ]

noun

, plural max·il·lae [mak-, sil, -ee].

1. a jaw or jawbone, especially the upper.
2. one of the paired appendages immediately behind the mandibles of arthropods.

maxilla

/ mækˈsɪlə; mækˈsɪlə /

noun

1. the upper jawbone in vertebrates See jaw
2. any member of one or two pairs of mouthparts in insects and other arthropods used as accessory jaws

maxilla

/ măk-sĭl′ə /

, Plural maxillae măk-sĭl′ē

1. The upper part of the jaw in vertebrate animals.

Derived Forms

• maxillar, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of maxilla¹

1670–80; < New Latin, special use of Latin maxilla lower jaw, diminutive of māla (< *maxlā ) upper jaw, cheekbone

Word History and Origins

Origin of maxilla¹

C17: New Latin, from Latin: jaw

Example Sentences

The Maori and Moriori skeletal remains, including skulls without mandibles, craniums, loose mandibles and maxilla fragments, were largely collected by Austrian taxidermist and grave robber Andreas Reischek from 1877 to 1889.

From Reuters

The skeletal remains, which include skulls without mandibles, craniums, loose mandibles and maxilla fragments, were handed over in an official ceremony in Vienna on Tuesday, where there was a panel and presentation.

From Reuters

“As her son grew, he began developing a sharp boyish face. To her, it evoked a primitive ax head, chipped from flint by, say, the Algonquin Indians. He had a small, round, aerodynamic cranium, like a cheetah. The front of his face — his nose, maxilla, sinuses, jaw — projected forward like a canine skull — what an anthropologist would call prognathous. His blond hair grew in a short, tight cap on his head, like Julius Caesar or Eminem. And he had freckles.”

From New York Times

By contrast, we see the upper jaw — the maxilla — as a fixed part of the skull that simply holds the upper teeth.

From New York Times

But the maxilla is actually a separate bone of its own.

From New York Times

Related Words

• bone
• mouth