• Albanian: gojë
• Arabic: (fam)
• Armenian: բերան (beran)
• Bosnian: usta
• Catalan: boca
• Chinese: 嘴 (zuǐ), 口 (kǒu)
• Croatian: usta
• Czech: ústa n p (esp. human), pusa (informal), tlama (esp. animal)
• Danish: mund
• Dutch: mond
• Estonian: suu
• Ewe: nu
• Finnish: suu
• French: bouche
• Frisian: mûle
• German: Mund (esp. human), Maul (esp. animal)
• Greek: ,

  Ancient: στόμα (stoma) , στύμα (styma (Aeolic)) , μάσταξ (mastax)

  Modern: στόμα (stoma)

• Hebrew: פֶּה (pe)
• Hungarian: száj
• Icelandic: munnur , kjaftur (vulgar)
• Italian: bocca
• Japanese: 口 (くち, kuchi)
• Korean: 입 (ip)
• Maltese: ħalq ((m))
• Norwegian: munn
• Occitan: boca
• Persian: دهان
• Polish: usta n p, paszcza , gęba
• Portuguese: boca
• Romanian: gură
• Russian: рот (rot) , уста (ustá) p poetic
• Slovene: usta
• Spanish: boca
• Swahili: kinywa (nc 7/8)
• Swedish: mun

• Estonian: suu
• Finnish: suu
• French: embouchure
• Greek: ,

  Ancient: στόμα (stoma)

  Modern: στόμιο (stomio)

• Icelandic: munnur, op
• Italian: imboccatùra , imbócco
• Persian: (dahâne), (surâx)
• Polish: otwór , ujście , wylot
• Portuguese: boca, entrada, orifício
• Russian: отверстие (otvérstije) , устье (úst’je)
• Slovene: ustje

Translations to be checked

Verb

1. To speak about something.

   He mouthed his opinions on the subject at the meeting.

2. To make the actions of speech, without producing sound.

   The prompter mouthed the words to the actor, who had forgotten them.

3. To pick up or handle with the lips or mouth, but not chew or swallow.

   The fish mouthed the lure, but didn't bite.

Derived terms

• a closed mouth gathers no feet
• all mouth and pants/trousers, all mouth and no pants/trousers, all mouth
• badmouth
• big mouth
• mouth-breather
• mouthbrooder
• mouthful
• mouth music
• mouth off
• mouthwash
• mouthy
• loudmouth/loud-mouth, loudmouthed/loud-mouthed
• out of the mouths of babes
• put one's foot in one's mouth
• shoot one's mouth off
• straight from the horse's mouth
• word of mouth

See also

• orifice

The mouth (or oral cavity) is the first portion of the alimentary canal that receives food and begins digestion by mechanically breaking up the solid food particles into smaller pieces and mixing them with saliva.

In humans

Mouth cavity

The first space of the mouth is the mouth cavity, bounded laterally and in front by the alveolar arches (containing the teeth), and posteriorily by the isthmus of the fauces. The oral cavity is also known as the mouth which it swallows food and drinks and goes down to the person's stomach.

Function

The mouth plays an important role in speech (it is part of the vocal apparatus), facial expression, kissing, eating, drinking (especially with a straw), breathing.

Infants are born with a sucking reflex, by which they instinctively know to suck for nourishment using their lips and jaw.

Cultural aspects

According to general etiquette, the mouth is kept closed, especially when chewing.

Lips can be adorned with lipstick or lip gloss, although in most cultures this is typically only practised by females.

Piercings have been made popular by the younger generations. Lip, tongue, and the 'Monroe' (Monroe piercing is a stud piercing placed on one's face in the same area as Marilyn Monroe's well known and prominent birthmark was) are piercings seen in many varieties. Piercings of any sort besides two subtle earrings are seen as rebellious to the norm in many western cultures.

Development

The philtrum is the vertical groove in the upper lip, formed where the nasomedial and maxillary processes meet during embryo development. When these processes fail to fuse fully, a hare lip and/or cleft palate can result.

The nasolabial folds are the deep creases of tissue that extend from the nose to the sides of the mouth. One of the first signs of age on the human face is the increase in prominence of the nasolabial folds.

In animals

Some animals, including vertebrates, have a complete digestive system, with a mouth at one end and an anus at the other. Which end forms first in ontogeny is a criterion used to classify animals into protostome and deuterostome. The first space of the mouth is the mouth cavity, bounded laterally and in front by the alveolar arches (containing the teeth), and posteriorily by the isthmus of the fauces.

See also

• Head and neck anatomy
• Mouth breathing
• List of oral health and dental topics
• List of basic dentistry topics

Additional images

image:sagittalmouth.png|Sagittal section of nose mouth, pharynx, and larynx. image:Open Mouth.jpg|A human mouth, open. image:Mouth by David Shankbone.jpg|Male human mouth

References

External links

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