maxilla

noun

max·​il·​la mak-ˈsi-lə 

plural maxillae mak-ˈsi-(ˌ)lē 

-ˌlī

or maxillas

1

a

: jaw sense 1a

b(1)

: an upper jaw especially of humans and other mammals in which the bony elements are closely fused

(2)

: either of the two bones that lie with one on each side of the upper jaw lateral to the premaxilla and that in higher vertebrates bear most of the teeth

2

: one of the first or second pair of mouthparts posterior to the mandibles in many arthropods (such as insects or crustaceans)

maxillary

ˈmak-sə-ˌler-ē 

 chiefly British  mak-ˈsi-lə-rē

adjective or noun

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web

Rolf Quam, Binghamton University) Sink Your Teeth Into This One Known as Misliya-1, the partial maxilla, with several teeth preserved in situ, is 177,000 to 194,000 years old. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 25 Jan. 2018

Thomas' team looked at the maxilla, or the upper part of the dog's jaw, because those tooth roots are best for DNA sampling, and researchers were able to pull samples from three specimens. —Saleen Martin, USA TODAY, 12 Jan. 2023

These more modern premaxilla, maxilla and dentary — collectively known as dermal marginal jaw bones — previously were seen only in bony fishes, or osteichthyans. —Gemma Tarlach, Discover Magazine, 25 Sep. 2013

Small skeletal details such as the shape of the upper jaw bone called the maxilla, the head of the thigh bone and the foot bones of Scleromochlus are similar to those of other reptiles proposed to be related to pterosaur origins. —Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Oct. 2022

The front of his face — his nose, maxilla, sinuses, jaw — projected forward like a canine skull — what an anthropologist would call prognathous. —Dwight Garner, New York Times, 23 Aug. 2021

Later today, Garvey will operate on a man with a more difficult case—a large tumor in the maxilla, or top jaw—as part of two surgical teams. —Jacqueline Detwiler, Popular Mechanics, 1 Feb. 2020

Bereino had found a maxilla, or upper jawbone, belonging to an ancient hominin. —Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2019

Just feet away from where Bereino had found the maxilla, Haile-Selassie soon spotted what turned out to be most of the remaining skull. —Michael Greshko, National Geographic, 28 Aug. 2019

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Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, going back to Latin, "jawbones, jaws, lower part of the face," diminutive from the base *smaksl- or *maksl- seen in māla "lower part of the face, jaws" — more at malar

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Kids Definition

maxilla

noun

max·​il·​la mak-ˈsil-ə 

plural maxillae -ˈsil-ē 

-ˈsil-ˌī

or maxillas

1

a

: an upper jaw especially of a mammal in which the bony parts are closely united

b

: either of the two bones of the upper jaw in higher vertebrates including human beings that bear most of the teeth

2

: one of the first or second pair of mouth appendages behind the mandibles in various arthropods

maxillary

ˈmak-sə-ˌler-ē 

adjective or noun

Medical Definition

maxilla

noun

max·​il·​la mak-ˈsil-ə 

plural maxillae -ˈsil-(ˌ)ē  -ˌī  or maxillas

1

: jaw sense 1a

2

a

: an upper jaw especially of humans or other mammals in which the bony elements are closely fused

b

: either of two membrane bone elements of the upper jaw that lie lateral to the premaxillae and that in higher vertebrates including humans bear most of the teeth

3

: one of the first or second pair of mouthparts posterior to the mandibles in insects, myriopods, crustaceans and closely related arthropods