mandible

English

human mandible

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)
   2. The jaw or a jawbone, especially the lower jawbone in mammals and fishes.

      Coordinate term: maxilla

   3. Either of the upper and lower segments of a bird's beak.
   4. 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.

Synonyms

• (jawbone): dentary, dentary bone, inferior maxillary bone, jawbone, lower jaw, submaxilla
• (invertibrate mouthpart): fang (obsolete)

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
• Tamil: தாடை (ta) (tāṭai)
• Telugu: హనువు (te) (hanuvu)

mouthpart of an arthropod

• Afrikaans: kaak (af)
• 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), жва́ло (ru) n (žválo)
• 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.