Maxillaries

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The structures located on the upper jaw that support teeth and facilitate movement in the mouth are called
2. Those bones or parts of the anatomy pertaining to the upper jaw, crucial for feeding and speech, are defined as
3. Structures in the upper jaw that play a vital role in dental support and oral functions are referred to as

Etymology: "Maxillaries" is simply the plural of "maxillary", the adjective-turned-noun for the bones of the upper jaw. The root is the Latin "māxilla", meaning jawbone or jaw, a word that also gave English "maxilla" for the same bone in its singular, anatomical form. The adjective comes from Latin "māxillāris", meaning "of or belonging to the jaw", built by adding the adjectival suffix "-āris" (the source of English "-ary") to "māxilla". English uses "maxillary" as a plain descriptor, as in "maxillary sinus", and the noun plural is used for the paired bones themselves.