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Origin and history of maxillary

maxillary(adj.)

"of or pertaining to the jaw or jawbone," 1620s, from Latin maxilla "upper jaw" (see maxilla) + -ary.

Entries linking to maxillary

"a jaw, a jawbone," 1670s, from Latin maxilla "upper jaw," diminutive of mala "jaw, cheekbone." "Maxilla stands to mala as axilla, 'armpit,' stands to ala 'wing'" [Klein]. Especially a bone of the upper jaw (maxilla superior) as distinguished from the mandible or lower jaw (maxilla inferior). Related: Maxillar; maxilliform.

adjective and noun word-forming element, in most cases from Latin -arius, -aria, -arium "connected with, pertaining to; the man engaged in," from PIE relational adjective suffix *-yo- "of or belonging to."

The neuter of the adjectives in Latin also were often used as nouns (solarium "sundial," vivarium, honorarium, cucumerarium "a cucumber field," etc.). It appears in words borrowed from Latin in Middle English. In later borrowings from Latin to French, it became -aire and passed into Middle English as -arie, subsequently -ary.

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