: a compound bone of the side of the skull of some mammals including humans
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebEnlarge / Set of cut marks identified on the left temporal bone of the skull. Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2022 The authors also ruled out a bone tumor or malignant external otitis (a fast-spreading infection of the ear canal and temporal bone). Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 24 Feb. 2022 And fracturing the temporal bone above the ear could sever an artery, causing blood to flow rapidly into the brain, Marcus said.Los Angeles Times, 11 Feb. 2022 The other is done by an assistant, with each of his middle fingers pressing with persistent firmness into the hollow behind the ridge of the temporal bone, which forms the [side wall of the eye socket]. Mark Fischetti, Scientific American, 16 Dec. 2021 Some of the vibrations passed through the wood, through his jaw, through his temporal bone, and into his cochlea, bypassing his eardrum and middle ear. David Owen, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2019 Garrett, of Van Meter, Iowa, died July 6 of a rare cancer that attacked his temporal bone and cranial nerve.Fox News, 13 July 2018 The rare cancer attacked his temporal bone, cranial nerve and inner ear. Makayla Tendall, ajc, 13 July 2018 Garrett suffered from stage 4 Alveolar Fusion Negative Rhabdomyosarcoma (ARMS) which is a rare form of cancer that affected Garrett’s temporal bone, cranial nerve and inner ear, according to a GoFundMe created for him.PEOPLE.com, 12 July 2018 See More
Word History
First Known Use
1771, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
temporal bone
noun
: a compound bone of the side of the skull that has four principal parts including the squamous, petrous, and tympanic portions and the mastoid process