Submaxillary

Part of speech: adjective

Definitions

1. Located under the lower jaw, especially referring to the salivary glands or the area beneath the mandible
2. Positioned below the jawbone, as in the region of the neck just under the lower part of the face
3. Lying beneath the mandible, a term used in anatomy for structures found in the area under the jaw

Etymology: "Submaxillary" is a plain compound: the Latin prefix "sub-", meaning "under" or "below," joined to "maxillary," the adjective from "maxilla," the Latin word for jaw or jawbone. Put together, it describes something located beneath the jaw. Its most familiar use is in anatomy, where the submaxillary glands sit under the lower jaw and produce saliva. The adjective "maxillary" is itself a scientific formation built on the Latin "maxilla," a diminutive-style term for the jaw, and it is in turn the source of the anatomical name for the upper jaw bone, the maxilla. "Submaxillary" follows the same pattern, adding the prefix to specify position rather than naming a separate structure. Because it is a technical coinage from Latin parts, it reads as clinical, and it is used mainly in medicine, dentistry and veterinary science.

Synonyms: submandibular