mandibulate
/mænˈdɪbjəˌleɪt/
adjective
- Having a mandible or mandibles; relating to the jaw or jaw-like mouthparts.
- The mandibulate insects use their strong jaws to chew leaves.
- In biology class, we studied the mandibulate structure of ants.
- The fossil showed a clearly mandibulate skull, indicating it was a predator.
Synonyms
verb
- To bite or chew with mandibles; to use jaw-like mouthparts.
- The beetle mandibulates through the tough bark of the tree.
- Some crustaceans mandibulate their food before swallowing.
- The caterpillar mandibulates the leaf edge with its tiny jaws.