pleurodont, n. and a. Zool.
(ˈplʊərədɒnt)
[f. pleuro- + Gr. ὀδούς, ὀδοντ- tooth.]
a. n. A lizard having teeth fixed to the side of the jaw-bone. b. adj. (a) Belonging to the Pleurodontes, a group of lizards having this character; (b) applied to such teeth or their attachment.
| 1840 Penny Cycl. XVIII. 260/2 The maxillary teeth of the species composing the Pleurodonts have their summit..more or less trilobated. 1862 Dana Man. Geol. 346 In others (Pleurodonts) the teeth are implanted in a groove, the outer border of which projects more than the inner. 1872 Mivart Elem. Anat. vii. 256 We may find a development of a bony alveolar plate on one side.., to which the teeth may become attached by actual bony growth..as in the Iguanian Lizards. Such a form of attachment is termed pleurodont. |