maxilla

maxilla
An irregularly shaped pneumatized bone, supporting the superior teeth and taking part in the formation of the orbit, hard palate, and nasal cavity and containing the maxillary sinus. SYN: upper jaw bone, upper jaw. [L. jawbone]

* * *

max·il·la mak-'sil-ə n, pl max·il·lae -'sil-(.)ē, -.ī or maxillas
1) JAW (1a)
2 a) an upper jaw esp. 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

* * *

n. (pl. maxillae)
loosely, the upper jaw, which bears the upper teeth. Strictly, the maxilla is one of a pair of bones that partly form the upper jaw, the outer walls of the maxillary sinus, and the floor of the orbit. See also mandible, skull.
maxillary adj.

* * *

max·il·la (mak-silґə) gen. maxilґlae pl. maxilґlae, maxillas [L.] [TA] the irregularly shaped bone that with its fellow forms the upper jaw; it assists in the formation of the orbit, the nasal cavity, and the palate, and lodges the upper teeth. maxillary adj

Right maxilla. (A), Lateral view; (B), medial view.


Medical dictionary. 2011.

Look at other dictionaries:

  • maxilla — jaw, jawbone, 1670s, from L. maxilla upper jaw, dim. of mala jaw, cheekbone. Maxilla stands to mala as axilla, armpit, stands to ala wing [Klein]. Related: Maxillar; maxilliform …   Etymology dictionary

  • maxilla — f. anat. Hueso par que limita la boca en su parte superior y forma parte de las cavidades orbitales y de las fosas nasales. En la zona superior se encuentran los senos maxilares y en el borde inferior se insertan los dientes. También se denomina… …   Diccionario médico

  • Maxilla — Max*il la, n.; pl. {Maxill[ae]}. [L., dim. of mala jaw, jawbone.] 1. (Anat.) (a) The bone of either the upper or the under jaw. (b) The bone, or principal bone, of the upper jaw, the bone of the lower jaw being the mandible. [Now commonly used in …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Maxilla — (lat.), Kinnlade. M. inferior, Unterkiefer; M. superior, Oberkiefer. Daher Maxillar..., auf den Ober od. Unterkiefer sich beziehend; so Maxillararterien, s.u. Kopfarterien A) b). Maxillarnerven, s. Gehirnnerven E) b) u. c). Maxillarvenen, Venen… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Maxilla — (lat., Maxille, Kiefer), bei den Wirbeltieren der Oberkiefer, bei den Gliedertieren der Unter oder Mittelkiefer …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Maxilla — (lat.), Kinnlade, Kiefer; maxillār, auf den Ober oder Unterkiefer sich beziehend …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

  • Maxilla — Maxilla, lat., die Kinnlade; maxillar, die Kinnlade betreffend …   Herders Conversations-Lexikon

  • maxilla — ► NOUN (pl. maxillae) 1) Anatomy the bone of the upper jaw. 2) Zoology (in arthropods) each of a pair of chewing mouthparts. DERIVATIVES maxillary adjective. ORIGIN Latin, jaw …   English terms dictionary

  • maxilla — [mak sil′ə] n. pl. maxillae [maks il′ē] [L, dim., akin to mala, a jaw] 1. in vertebrates, the upper jaw, or a major bone or cartilage of the upper jaw: see SKULL 2. in most arthropods, as insects or crabs, one of the first or second pair of… …   English World dictionary

  • Maxilla — This article is about the human maxilla. For arthropod maxillae, see Maxilla (arthropod). For insect maxillae in particular, see Maxilla (Hexapoda). Bone: Maxilla Side view. Maxilla visible at bottom left, in green …   Wikipedia

  • maxilla — Appendage next behind maxillule serving functions in feeding and respiration. (Syn. second maxilla) [Moore and McCormick, 1969]. One of a pair of two sets gnathal appendages situated immediately posteroventral to mandibles [Hobbs and Jass, 1988] …   Crustacea glossary

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”