pterygoid process

noun

: a process extending downward from each side of the sphenoid bone in humans and other mammals

Word History

First Known Use

1698, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pterygoid process was in 1698

Rhymes for pterygoid process

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Browse Nearby Words

pterygoid bone
pterygoid process
pterygoid ridge
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Cite this Entry

“Pterygoid process.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pterygoid%20process. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.

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Medical Definition

pterygoid process

noun
: a process that extends downward from each side of the sphenoid bone near the union of its body and a greater wing, that consists of the medial and lateral pterygoid plates which are fused above anteriorly and separated below by the pterygoid fissure whose edges articulate with a process of the palatine bone, and that contains on its posterior aspect the pterygoid and scaphoid fossae which give attachment to muscles
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