Meanings
plural pterygopalatine fossae
- anatomyA small triangular space beneath the apex of the orbit that is bounded above by the sphenoid bone and the orbital process of the palatine bone, in front by the maxilla, medially by the palatine bone, and behind by the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone and that contains among other structures the pterygopalatine ganglion.
Synonyms: pterygomaxillary fossa, sphenomaxillary fossa, sphenopalatine fossa
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA small triangular space beneath the apex of the orbit that is bounded above by the sphenoid bone and the orbital process of the palatine bone, in front by the maxilla, medially by the palatine bone, and behind by the pterygoid process of the sphenoid bone and that contains among other structures the pterygopalatine ganglion.
Translations
Chinese Mandarin 翼顎窩 /翼颚窝
- 翼顎窩 /翼颚窝 (yì'è wō)space beneath the apex of the orbit
Cite this entry
pterygopalatine fossa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pterygopalatine%20fossa
“pterygopalatine fossa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pterygopalatine%20fossa. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pterygopalatine fossa,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pterygopalatine%20fossa.
Source: pterygopalatine fossa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.