Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Maxilla
‖
Max-il′la
,Noun.
pl.
Maxillae
(#)
. [L., dim. of
mala
jaw, jawbone.] 1.
(Anat.)
(a)
The bone of either the upper or the under jaw.
(b)
The bone, or principal bone, of the upper jaw, the bone of the lower jaw being the mandible.
[Now commonly used in this restricted sense.]
2.
(Zool.)
One of the lower or outer jaws of arthropods.
☞ There are usually two pairs in Crustacea and one pair in insects. In certain insects they are not used as jaws, but may form suctorial organs. See Illust. under
Lepidoptera
, and Diptera
.