maxilla
max·ill·a/mækˈsɪl.ə/noun
maxilla is spelled M-A-X-I-L-L-A: 7 letters and 3 syllables (max·ill·a). It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,108th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, maxilla means “An upper jaw especially of humans and other mammals in which the bony elements are closely fused” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of maxilla is maxillae or maxillas; Wiktionary also lists maxillæ (obsolete).
How many letters and syllables are in maxilla?
| Letters | 7: M-A-X-I-L-L-A |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: max·ill·a |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 56,108th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is maxilla?
Maxilla appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,108th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce maxilla?
- /mækˈsɪl.ə/
Maxilla has 3 syllables, split max·ill·a in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-maxilla.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of maxilla
- maxillae plural
- maxillas plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does maxilla mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An upper jaw especially of humans and other mammals in which the bony elements are closely fused.
- 2
Either of the two bones that lie with one on each side of the upper jaw lateral to the premaxilla and that in higher vertebrates bear most of the teeth.
- 3
One of the first or second pair of mouthparts posterior to the mandibles in many arthropods that are used for tasting and manipulating food.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Maxilla in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense bone of upper jaw:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does maxilla come from?
From Middle English, from Latin māxilla (“the jawbone, jaw”), diminutive of māla (“the cheekbone, jaw”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).