maxilla

IPA/mækˈsɪlə/
KK[mæksˈɪlə]IPA/mækˈsɪlə/

maxilla — noun

  • maxillasingular
  • maxillaeplural

1. One of the two fused bones that make up the upper jaw in humans and other mammal

1.nounB2
Definition

One of the two fused bones that make up the upper jaw in humans and other mammals. It holds the upper teeth in position and contributes to the lower rim of both eye sockets, along with the sides and floor of the nasal cavity.

Example

After falling off his bicycle, eight-year-old Jun fractured his maxilla and had to have surgery.

fractured maxilla — common injury context

The CT scan showed that the tumour had spread from the palate into the left maxilla.

medical context: maxilla as anatomical location

Common collocations
  • fractured maxilla
  • maxilla surgery
  • maxilla and mandible
  • left / right maxilla
  • maxilla bone graft
Synonyms
  • upper jaw

    non-technical term used in everyday language; less precise but more common outside medicine.

  • jawbone

    general term that can refer to either the upper or lower jaw; less specific than 'maxilla'.

Antonyms
  • mandible

    the lower jaw bone; the counterpart of the maxilla.

Grammar Patterns

the maxilla

a fractured maxilla

Usage Note

In everyday conversation, English speakers usually say 'upper jaw' instead of 'maxilla'. The term 'maxilla' is most common in medical, dental, and anatomical writing.

Common Mistakes

The dentist said I broke my maxilla bone.
The dentist said I broke my maxilla.
'maxilla' already names a bone, so 'bone' after it is redundant.

Word family

  • maxillary
    adjectiveC1
  • maxillofacial
    adjectiveC1
  • maxillae
    noun pluralC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Maxilla' is the precise anatomical name for the paired bone forming the upper jaw, used mainly in medical, dental, and zoological contexts. 'Upper jaw' is the everyday term that most English speakers use in conversation — it refers to the whole area rather than the bone specifically. 'Jawbone' is broader and can mean either the upper or lower jaw; when used alone it often refers to the lower jaw. 'Mandible' is the technical name for the lower jaw bone only, making it the direct counterpart of the maxilla. In a clinical setting, a dentist might say 'Your maxilla is developing normally', while a parent would say 'He hurt his upper jaw'. A biologist describing a fossil would distinguish 'the maxilla and mandible' rather than using the looser term 'jawbone'.

upper jawjawbone ↗mandible ↗maxilla ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • fractured maxilla
  • maxilla and mandible
  • left maxilla
  • right maxilla

Prepositions

  • of the maxilla
  • in the maxilla
  • to the maxilla

Etymology

LatinEnglish

From Latin 'maxilla', meaning 'jawbone' or 'jaw', a diminutive form of 'mala' ('jaw'). The word entered English as a direct borrowing in the late 16th century through medical and anatomical writing.