adj. Adapted for tearing apart flesh: carnassial teeth. n. A tooth adapted for tearing apart flesh, especially one of the last upper premolar or first lower molar teeth in carnivorous mammals. [From French carnassier, carnivorous, from Provençal, from carnasso, meat in abundance, from carn, flesh, from Latin carō, carn-; see sker-1 in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.] |
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