Meanings
plural temporales
- anatomyA fan-shaped muscle which arises from the surface of the temporal fossa and converges to an aponeurosis which contracts into a thick flat tendon inserted into the coronoid process of the mandible; it serves to raise the lower jaw and is involved in closing the mouth and chewing.
Synonyms: temporal muscle
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA fan-shaped muscle which arises from the surface of the temporal fossa and converges to an aponeurosis which contracts into a thick flat tendon inserted into the coronoid process of the mandible; it serves to raise the lower jaw and is involved in closing the mouth and chewing.
More synonyms by meaning
nounmuscle extending from the temporal fossa to the coronoid process of the mandible; acts to raise the mandible and close the jaws
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Late Latintemporālis“of or belonging to the temples of the head”
- Englishtemporalis
Borrowed from Late Latin temporālis (“of or belonging to the temples of the head”), ellipsis of mūsculus temporālis (“the temporal muscle”). Doublet of temporal.
More words from Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Chinese Mandarin 顳肌 /颞肌
- 顳肌 /颞肌 (nièjī)muscle
Finnish ohimolihas
- ohimolihasmuscle
Hungarian halántékizom
- halántékizommuscle
Japanese 側頭筋
- 側頭筋 (sukutōkin)muscle
Māori ua rahirahinga
- ua rahirahingamuscle
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with temporalis
Anagrams
Cite this entry
temporalis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temporalis
“temporalis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temporalis. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “temporalis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/temporalis.
Source: temporalis on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.