mandible — (n.) late 14c., jaw, jawbone, from M.Fr. mandible and directly from L.L. mandibula jaw, from L. mandere to chew, from PIE root *mendh to chew (Cf. Gk. mastax the mouth, that with which one chews; morsel, that which is chewed, masasthai to chew,… … Etymology dictionary
mandible — ► NOUN 1) the lower jawbone. 2) either of the upper and lower parts of a bird s beak. 3) either half of the crushing organ in an insect s mouthparts. ORIGIN from Latin mandere to chew … English terms dictionary
mandible — [man′də bəl] n. [OFr < LL mandibula < mandibulum, a jaw < L mandere, to chew < IE base * menth , to chew > MOUTH] the jaw; specif., a) the lower jaw of a vertebrate: see SKULL b) either of a pair of biting jaws of an insect or… … English World dictionary
Mandible — This article is about the vertebrate jawbone. For the human jawbone, see human mandible. For other uses, see Mandible (disambiguation). Sperm whale mandible In vertebrates, the mandible, lower jaw or jawbone is a bone forming the skull with the… … Wikipedia
Mandible — The mandible is the bone of the lower jaw. The joint where the mandible meets the upper jaw at the temporal bone is called the temporomandibular joint. * * * A U shaped bone (in superior view), forming the lower jaw, articulating by its upturned… … Medical dictionary
mandible — Most anterodorsally situated of gnathal appendages; one, of a pair, of heavily calcified jaws; the teeth. [Hobbs and Jass, 1988]. On of the heavily calcified jaws lying anterior to (beneath, in ventral view) the other mouth parts but visible in… … Crustacea glossary
mandible — UK [ˈmændɪb(ə)l] / US noun [countable] Word forms mandible : singular mandible plural mandibles medical the lower jaw of a person, animal, or fish a) the top or bottom part of a bird s beak b) either of the two parts of an insect s mouth that it… … English dictionary
mandible — [[t]mæ̱ndɪb(ə)l[/t]] mandibles 1) N COUNT A mandible is the bone in the lower jaw of a person or animal. [TECHNICAL] Syn: jawbone 2) N COUNT: usu pl An insect s mandibles are the two parts of its mouth which it uses for biting, similar to an… … English dictionary
mandible — n. lower jaw; either part of bird s beak or insect s mouth parts. ♦ mandibular, a. ♦ mandibulate, a. having mandible … Dictionary of difficult words
mandible — n. 1 the jaw, esp. the lower jaw in mammals and fishes. 2 the upper or lower part of a bird s beak. 3 either half of the crushing organ in an arthropod s mouth parts. Derivatives: mandibular adj. mandibulate adj. Etymology: ME f. OF mandible or… … Useful english dictionary
