molar

1 of 3

noun

mo·​lar ˈmō-lər 

: a tooth with a rounded or flattened surface adapted for grinding

specifically : one of the cheek teeth in mammals behind the incisors and canines see tooth illustration

molar

2 of 3

adjective (1)

1

: pulverizing by friction : grinding

2

: of, relating to, or located near the molar teeth

molar

3 of 3

adjective (2)

1

: of or relating to a mole of a substance

the molar volume of a gas

2

: containing one mole of solute in one liter of solution

molarity

mō-ˈla-rə-tē 

-ˈler-ə-tē

noun

Examples of molar in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The images that went viral were often unnerving: high-flash nostalgic party pictures of grinning models with extra molars, or portraits of a sobbing Steve Harvey sloshing liquor in a pitch-black room. —Jacqui Palumbo, CNN, 18 Dec. 2024

This book will get stuck in your head the same way this throwback candy might loosen a molar or two. —Lizz Schumer, People.com, 31 Oct. 2024

Earlier this year, Winston Churchill’s wartime veneers fetched £18,000 in the U.K., and back in 2011, a Canadian dentist bought John Lennon’s rotten molar for $31,000. —Chris Stanton, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2024

The Pennsylvania mom needed root canals and crowns for two molars to get rid of the pain-triggering infection. —Ken Alltucker, USA TODAY, 22 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English molares, plural, from Latin molaris, from molaris of a mill, from mola millstone — more at mill

Adjective (2)

mole entry 5

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (1)

1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective (2)

1902, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

molar

1 of 2 noun

mo·​lar ˈmō-lər 

: a tooth with a rounded or flattened surface adapted for grinding

especially : one behind the premolars of a mammal

molar

2 of 2 adjective

1

: adapted for grinding

2

: of or relating to a molar

Etymology

Noun

from Latin molaris "a grinding tooth," from mola "millstone" — related to mill entry 1

Word Origin

Food is crushed in the mouth by the grinding of teeth, especially the molars. In much the same manner, grain may be ground into flour between two rough circular millstones. The Latin word for millstone is mola, and it seemed fitting to the English in the late Middle Ages that a tooth which acted like a millstone be called a molar.

Medical Definition

molar

1 of 4 noun

mo·​lar ˈmō-lər 

: a tooth with a rounded or flattened surface adapted for grinding

specifically : one of the mammalian teeth behind the incisors and canines sometimes including the premolars but more exactly restricted to the three posterior pairs in each human jaw on each side which are not preceded by milk teeth

molar

2 of 4 adjective

1

a

: pulverizing by friction

molar teeth

b

: of, relating to, or located near the molar teeth

molar gland

2

: of, relating to, possessing the qualities of, or characterized by a hydatidiform mole

molar pregnancy

molar

3 of 4 adjective

1

: of or relating to a mass of matter as distinguished from the properties or motions of molecules or atoms

2

: of or relating to larger units of behavior especially as relatable to a prior deprivation or motivational pattern of the organism

interest in such molar problems of personality as the ego functions

—R. R. Holt

compare molecular sense 2

molar

4 of 4 adjective

1

: of or relating to a mole of a substance

the molar volume of a gas

2

: containing one mole of solute in one liter of solution