autostylic

9.9

A jaw with its upper part joined directly to the skull

adjective

Specialized

: autostílico

Many ancient fish exhibit an autostylic jaw structure, where the upper jaw is fused to the skull.

Examples

At this point in the evolutionary process, the palatoquadrate was completely fused with the chondrocranium to form a true autostylic jaw suspension, and it was covered almost entirely by dermal bone.

Academic text (2003)
In the autostylic architecture, the palatoquadrate is essentially fused to the chondrocranium.

Academic text (2003)
The autostylic skeleton allows for a strong connection between the jaw and the skull in certain fish species.
In an autostylic arrangement, the upper jaw is directly attached to the skull, enhancing feeding efficiency.

Surface Forms

autostylic positive

Morphology

autostylic = auto + styl + ic

Although the word is built from classical elements auto- + styl- + -ic, the anatomical meaning is not predictable for an average learner from those parts.

Etymology

Autostylic starts with auto- 'self' (as in autograph) and ends with -stylic from a Greek word for 'pillar' (seen in stylus), so it gives the image of a jaw acting like its own firm 'pillar'. So, an autostylic jaw is one that is fixed or fused directly to the skull.