To bring close together. In dentistry : 1. Proximate, denoting the contact surfaces, either mesial or distal, of two adjacent teeth. 2. Close together; denoting the teeth in the human jaw, as distinguished from the separated teeth in certain of the lower animals. [L. ad, to, + proximus, nearest]
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ap·prox·i·mate ə-'präk-sə-mət adj located close together
ap·prox·i·mate -.māt vt, -mat·ed; -mat·ing to bring together <\approximate cut edges of tissue>
ap·prox·i·ma·tion ə-.präk-sə-'mā-shən n
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ap·prox·i·mate (ə-prokґsĭ-māt″) 1. to bring close together, or into apposition. 2. approximal.Medical dictionary. 2011.