noun
mandible
MAN-dihb-uhl
noun
1
The lower jawbone in humans and other vertebrates.
"The dentist examined an old fracture in his mandible."
2
Either half of a bird's beak.
"The parrot's upper mandible curves sharply downward."
3
One of the paired mouthparts insects and other arthropods use to grip and chew food.
"Ants use their mandibles to carry leaves many times their own weight."
How to Use Mandible
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA jaw or jaw-like part — used for the human lower jaw, a bird's beak half, or an insect's biting mouthpart.
Word Forms
mandibles plural
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Etymology
From Late Latin mandibula ("jaw"), from mandere ("to chew").