carnassial Hear it!

carnassial definition

car·nas·sial (kär nas′ē əl)

adjective

designating or of teeth of a flesh-eating animal specialized for slicing or shearing rather than tearing, esp. the last premolars of the upper jaw and the first molars of the lower jaw

Etymology: < Fr carnassier, carnivorous < Prov carnasa, bad flesh (+ pejorative -acea) < carn, flesh < L caro: see carnage

noun

a carnassial tooth

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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