mandible

English

Alternative forms

• mandibula

Etymology

From late Middle English, from Late Latin mandibula (“a jaw”), from mandō (“to chew, masticate”) +‎ -bula (instrument noun suffix).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈmæn.dɪb.əl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ændɪbəl

Noun

mandible (plural mandibles)

1. (anatomy, zootomy)
   1. The jaw or a jawbone, especially the lower jawbone in mammals and fishes.

      Synonyms: dentary, dentary bone, inferior maxillary bone, jawbone, lower jaw, submaxilla

      Coordinate term: maxilla

   2. Either of the upper and lower segments of a bird's beak.
   3. Any of various invertebrate mouthparts serving to hold or bite food materials.
      1. One of the anterior pair of mouthparts of an arthropod, designed for holding and cutting food.

Derived terms

• hemimandible
• mandibular
• mandibulate
• mandibulous
• micromandible

 

Related terms

• mandibulary
• mange
• manger

Translations

lower jaw

• Catalan: mandíbula (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 下頜／下颌 (xiàhé, xiàgé (Taiwan)), 下頜骨／下颌骨 (zh) (xiàhégǔ, xiàgégǔ (Taiwan))

• Czech: dolní čelist f, sanice (cs) f
• Dutch: onderkaak (nl) f
• Esperanto: mandiblo
• Estonian: alalõualuu (jawbone)
• Finnish: alaleuka (fi), leuka (fi), (jawbone) alaleuanluu (fi)
• French: mandibule (fr) f
• German: Unterkiefer (de) m, (jawbone) Unterkieferknochen (de) m
• Greek: κάτω γνάθος f (káto gnáthos)
• Hungarian: állkapocscsont (hu)
• Icelandic: neðri kjálki (is) m
• Italian: mandibola (it) f
• Latvian: apakšžoklis m
• Malay: mandibel
• Navajo: ayaatsʼiin
• Polish: żuchwa (pl) f
• Portuguese: mandíbula (pt) f, queixada (pt) f
• Russian: ни́жняя че́люсть f (nížnjaja čéljustʹ)
• Scottish Gaelic: pìos ìosal a' ghuib m
• Slovak: sánka (sk)
• Spanish: mandíbula (es) f, quijada (es) f
• Swedish: underkäke (sv) c, mandibel c
• Tagalog: babasihang
• Telugu: హనువు (te) (hanuvu)

mouthpart of an arthropod

• Afrikaans: kaak
• Catalan: mandíbula (ca) f
• Czech: kusadlo (cs) n
• Dutch: kaak (nl) f
• Finnish: leukaraaja
• German: Mandibel (de) f
• Greek: δαγκάνα (el) f (dagkána)
• Malay: mandibel
• Russian: манди́була (ru) f (mandíbula)
• Slovak: hryzadlo
• Spanish: mandíbula (es) f
• Swedish: käke (sv) c, mandibel c

See also

• jowl

References

• “mandible”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “mandible”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.