Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
premaxilla

premaxilla

9.9
A bone at the front of the upper jaw that holds the front teeth
  • noun
  • /ˌpriːmækˈsɪlə/
  • Specialized
translation icon : premaxila
  • The premaxilla helps support the front teeth in many vertebrates, like fish and mammals.

Examples

  • In some species, the premaxilla is responsible for housing the incisors.

  • During the examination, the veterinarian noticed an injury to the premaxilla of the animal.

  • PHOTO (BLACK & WHITE): Figure 5. An axial CT scan of Case 3 reveals bilateral maxillary opacification and early soft tissue involvement of the premaxilla and nose.

    Academic text (1995)

Synonyms

intermaxillary
vspremaxilla
  • Specialized
9.3

A small bone at the front of the upper jaw

is an alternative scientific name for the same bone

Surface Forms

premaxilla singular
premaxillae plural

Morphology

premaxilla = maxilla (transparent) = pre + maxilla

In anatomical usage, 'pre-' plus 'maxilla' straightforwardly means a bone positioned in front of the maxilla.

Etymology

Premaxilla comes from the Latin parts pre- ('before') and maxilla ('jaw'), so it literally means the bone 'before the jaw'. That's why the premaxilla is the small bone at the very front of the upper jaw that often supports the front teeth in animals.