: 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)
Recent Examples on the WebThe 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 Using high resolution micro-CT scanning, Dr. Weber created a 3D replica of the upper left maxilla that allowed him to investigate its surface features and, virtually, to remove enamel from the teeth. Nicholas St. Fleur, New York Times, 25 Jan. 2018
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