temporal bone
temporal bone — noun
1. one of a pair of thick bones at the sides and base of the skull, located behind
one of a pair of thick bones at the sides and base of the skull, located behind the eyes and in front of the ears, which protect the inner ear and connect to the lower jaw.
A CT scan showed a hairline crack in Nadia's left temporal bone.
collocation: hairline crack in the temporal bone
Each temporal bone is the only skull bone connecting the jaw and the inner ear.
unique anatomical feature: connects to jaw and inner ear
A neurosurgeon drills through the temporal bone to reach an acoustic neuroma near the facial nerve.
A TMJ patient felt a sharp click near the joint between the jaw and temporal bone.
A fall from a ladder in 2022 fractured the temporal bone on Henry's right side.
- os temporale
Latin anatomical term used in formal medical writing and dissection guides; not used in everyday language.
文法句型
the + temporal bone
left/right + temporal bone
用法筆記
In everyday clinical settings, doctors usually refer to 'the temporal bone' as a single anatomical unit rather than listing its four component parts.
常見錯誤
2. the complex bone structure at the side of the human skull, composed of four dist
the complex bone structure at the side of the human skull, composed of four distinct sections — the squamous part (forming the side wall), the petrous part (protecting the inner ear organs), the tympanic part (surrounding the ear canal), and the mastoid process (a bony projection behind the ear).
The petrous part of the temporal bone is the body's densest bone, shielding the cochlea from injury.
petrous part: densest bone in body, protects cochlea
In dissection lab, first-year students identify the four temporal bone parts — petrous, squamous, tympanic, and mastoid.
learner context: identify four named parts in dissection
The mastoid process behind the ear can become infected when middle-ear bacteria spread into the temporal bone.
A child with untreated otitis media developed mastoiditis when bacteria reached the temporal bone's tympanic part.
During a craniotomy, a surgeon cuts a window through the temporal bone's thin squamous section to access the brain.
文法句型
part/section/region of the temporal bone
the + [section] + part of the temporal bone
用法筆記
Sense 2 describes the internal composition of the bone itself, unlike sense 1 (SKULL BONE) which treats the bone as a single anatomical unit. You are most likely to encounter this level of detail in medical textbooks, anatomical atlases, and surgical training materials.