a. and sb. [f. mod.L. alveol-us the socket of a tooth, in cl. L. a little channel or hollow, dim. of alveus a channel, etc. + -AR. Cf. Fr. alvéolaire.] A. adj.
1. Of or pertaining to the sockets of the teeth, or to that part of the upper jaw, the alveolar arch, in which the teeth are placed.
1799. Corse, in Phil. Trans., LXXXIX. 216. Both the fangs and the alveolar processes begin to be absorbed.
1872. Nicholson, Palæont., 366. The alveolar border of the upper jaw.
Mod. The English t and d are not strictly dental, they are alveolar.
2. Socket-shaped, having a cylindrical hollow.
1858. T. Jones, Aquar. Nat., 278. On the other hand, when cylindrical or alveolar it appears to be always more brittle.
B. sb. pl. The alveolar processes of the maxillary bone, in which the teeth are fixed.
1874. Dawkins, Cave Hunt., vi. 192. The alveolars short, but rather projecting.
