Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

temporalis

/ˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.lɪs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.53 in modern English

Syllables: tem-po-ralis
IPA: /ˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.lɪs/

14

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

10

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A 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.

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin temporālis (“of or belonging to the temples of the head”), ellipsis of mūsculus temporālis (“the temporal muscle”). Doublet of temporal.

Word Breakdown

Root: temporālis

Inflected Forms

temporales (plural)

Synonyms

temporal muscle temporalis muscle musculus temporalis

Rhymes With

chehalis frontalis occipitalis mentalis nasalis vocalis occipitofrontalis orbitalis lingualis ansa cervicalis

Questions

How do you pronounce temporalis?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.lɪs/.
What does temporalis mean?: A 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.
Where does temporalis come from?: Borrowed from Late Latin temporālis (“of or belonging to the temples of the head”), ellipsis of mūsculus temporālis (“the temporal muscle”). Doublet of temporal.

How to pronounce temporalis

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “temporalis”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˌtɛm.pəˈɹeɪ.lɪs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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