mandible

/ˈmændəbəl/

/ˈmændɪbəl/

Other forms: mandibles

Do you know where your mandible is located? Your mandible is your jawbone. Without a mandible, you wouldn't be able to eat pizza.

In vertebrates (including humans), the mandible is the lower, hinged part of the jaw; in birds, both the top and bottom sections of the beak are called mandibles. The Latin root is mandere, "to chew," and chewing is the main function of the mandible, which holds your lower teeth in place and swings freely up and down.

Definitions of mandible

1. noun

   the jaw in vertebrates that is hinged to open the mouth
   synonyms: jawbone, jowl, lower jaw, lower jawbone, mandibula, mandibular bone, submaxilla

   types:

   lantern jaw

   a long thin lower jaw

   type of:

   articulator

   a movable speech organ

   jaw

   the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth
2. noun

   either of the two mouthparts used by arthropods to hold and bite food
   type of:

   mouthpart

   any part of the mouth of an insect or other arthropod especially one adapted to a specific way of feeding