lateral pterygoid muscle

noun

A muscle that arises from the greater wing of the sphenoid bone and from the outer surface of the lateral pterygoid plate, is inserted into the condyle of the mandible and the articular disk of the temporomandibular joint, and acts as an antagonist of the masseter, temporalis, and medial pterygoid muscles.

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Meanings

nounlateral pterygoid muscle (plural lateral pterygoid muscles)

plural lateral pterygoid muscles · alternative lateral pterygoid · alternative external pterygoid muscle

  1. anatomyA muscle that arises from the greater wing of the sphenoid bone and from the outer surface of the lateral pterygoid plate, is inserted into the condyle of the mandible and the articular disk of the temporomandibular joint, and acts as an antagonist of the masseter, temporalis, and medial pterygoid muscles.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 外翼肌
  • 外翼肌 (wài yì jī)muscle
German Musculus pterygoideus lateralis
  • Musculus pterygoideus lateralismuscle
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

“lateral pterygoid muscle.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/lateral%20pterygoid%20muscle. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

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

Source: lateral pterygoid muscle on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.