chorda tympani

US/ˌkɔɹ.də ˈtɪm.pəˌnaɪ/

noun

A branch of the facial nerve that traverses the middle ear cavity and the infratemporal fossa and supplies autonomic fibers to the sublingual and submandibular glands and sensory fibers to the anterior part of the tongue.

OriginNew Latin chorda tympanī →
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Meanings

nounchorda tympani (plural chordae tympanorum)

plural chordae tympanorum

  1. anatomyA branch of the facial nerve that traverses the middle ear cavity and the infratemporal fossa and supplies autonomic fibers to the sublingual and submandibular glands and sensory fibers to the anterior part of the tongue.

Origin

  1. New Latinchorda tympanī“cord of the tympanum”
  2. Englishchorda tympani

Borrowed from New Latin chorda tympanī (“cord of the tympanum”).

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Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chorda tympani. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chorda%20tympani

MLA

“chorda tympani.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chorda%20tympani. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chorda tympani,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chorda%20tympani.

Source: chorda tympani on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.