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Glite Dictionary
talonid

talonid

9.9
The back part of a lower molar tooth that helps grind food
  • noun
  • Specialized
: talón
  • Lower molars of primitive mammals have a high anterior part (the trigonid) with three large cusps, and a low posterior part (the talonid) with two or three cusps.

Examples

  • The talonid of the lower molar helps in grinding tough plant material.

  • Only one cusp is present on the talonid (hypoconid) of these archaic cetaceans.

    Academic text (2001)

  • During evolution, the shape of the talonid varied greatly among different mammal species.

  • In some species, the talonid features prominent cusps that enhance their ability to chew.

Surface Forms

talonid singular
talonids plural

Morphology

talonid = talon (opaque) = talon + id

Although built from 'talon' + the suffix '-id', the specialized anatomical meaning ('posterior part of a lower molar') is technical and not derivable from the common meaning of 'talon'.

Etymology

Talonid comes from talon, which means 'heel' and is also the word for a bird's claw, plus the small ending -id that makes it a name for a part, so the talonid is like the 'heel' at the back of a lower molar and that is why it helps grind food.