maxilla

[mak-sil-uh] Origin

max·il·la

[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.

Origin:
1670–80; < Neo-Latin, special use of Latin maxilla lower jaw, diminutive of māla (< *maxlā) upper jaw, cheekbone
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Maxilla is always a great word to know.
So is floating ribs. Does it mean:
innermost of the chain of three ossicles in the middle ear
two lowest pairs of ribs which are attached neither to the sternum nor to cartilages of other ribs
Collins
World English Dictionary
maxilla (mækˈsɪlə)
 
n , pl -lae
1.  See jaw the upper jawbone in vertebrates
2.  any member of one or two pairs of mouthparts in insects and other arthropods used as accessory jaws
 
[C17: New Latin, from Latin: jaw]
 
maxillar
 
adj
 
max'illary
 
adj

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

maxilla
"jaw, jawbone," 1676, from L. maxilla "upper jaw," dim. of mala "jaw, cheekbone."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

maxilla max·il·la (māk-sĭl'ə)
n. pl. max·il·las or max·il·lae (māk-sĭl'ē)
Either of a pair of irregularly shaped bones of the skull, fusing in the midline, supporting the upper teeth, and forming part of the eye sockets, hard palate, and nasal cavity; upper jaw.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
maxilla   (māk-sĭl'ə)  Pronunciation Key 
Plural maxillae (māk-sĭl'ē) or maxillas
The upper part of the jaw in vertebrate animals.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
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