The

symphysis A symphysis (, : symphyses) is a fibrocartilaginous fusion between two bones. It is a type of cartilaginous joint, specifically a secondary cartilaginous joint. # A symphysis is an amphiarthrosis, a slightly movable joint. # A growing together o ...

of the external surface of the

mandible In jawed vertebrates, the mandible (from the Latin ''mandibula'', 'for chewing'), lower jaw, or jawbone is a bone that makes up the lowerand typically more mobilecomponent of the mouth (the upper jaw being known as the maxilla). The jawbone i ...

divides below and encloses a triangular eminence, the mental protuberance, the base of which is depressed in the center but raised on either side to form the '' mental tubercle''. The size and shape of the bones making up this structure are responsible for the size and shape of a person's chin. Synonyms of ''mental protuberance'' include ''mental process'' and ''protuberantia mentalis.'' ''Mental'' in this sense derives from Latin ''mentum'' (chin), not ''mens'' (mind), source of the more common meaning of ''mental''.

References

External links

* Bones of the head and neck {{musculoskeletal-stub