Meaning & use
gonion
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Meaning
nouncountabletechnicalmedical
The outer corner of the lower jaw, where the jawbone bends upward toward the ear, used as a fixed point in skull and face measurements.
Grammar: Anatomical term, often with the or a side: the left gonion.
Patterns
- the gonion of the mandible
The orthodontist marked the gonion on the X-ray before measuring the jaw angle.
Forensic scientists use the gonion to estimate the shape of a face.
The distance from the gonion to the chin shows how long the jaw is.
Word forms
| plural | gonia or gonions |
|---|
Common combinations
- the gonion point
- The gonion point is the outermost angle of the jaw.
- locate the gonion
- Students learn to locate the gonion on a skull.
- gonion to menton
- The distance from gonion to menton was measured.
- gonial angle
- The gonial angle is formed at the gonion.
Synonyms and how they differ
- jaw angle
- Jaw angle is the plain-language name for the same area, while gonion is the precise measuring point.
- mandibular angle
- Mandibular angle names the whole corner of the jaw, whereas gonion is the exact landmark on it.
Word family
- gonial adjective
- relating to the gonion or jaw angle
- goniometer noun
- an instrument for measuring angles
- goniometry noun
- the measurement of angles
Commonly confused: gonion or menton? gonion or gonad?
gonion vs menton
The menton is the lowest point of the chin, not the jaw corner.
gonion vs gonad
A gonad is a reproductive organ, and only shares the Greek root gon-.
Practice
The gonion is a landmark on which part of the body?
Choose one answer.
The gonion is the outer angle of the mandible, the lower jaw. The other places are not where it is found.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “gonion”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.