temporal fossa

noun

A broad fossa on the side of the skull of higher vertebrates behind the orbit that contains muscles for raising the lower jaw and that in humans is occupied by the temporalis muscle, is separated from the orbit by the zygomatic bone, is bounded laterally by the zygomatic arch, and lies above the infratemporal crest of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone.

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Meanings

nountemporal fossa (plural temporal fossae)

plural temporal fossae

  1. anatomyA broad fossa on the side of the skull of higher vertebrates behind the orbit that contains muscles for raising the lower jaw and that in humans is occupied by the temporalis muscle, is separated from the orbit by the zygomatic bone, is bounded laterally by the zygomatic arch, and lies above the infratemporal crest of the greater wing of the sphenoid bone.

Translations

Chinese Mandarin 顳窩 /颞窝
  • 顳窩 /颞窝 (niè wō)fossa on the side of the skull
Cite this entry
APA

temporal fossa. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temporal%20fossa

MLA

“temporal fossa.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temporal%20fossa. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “temporal fossa,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temporal%20fossa.

Source: temporal fossa on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.