Dictionary

pterygoid process

noun

Definition of PTERYGOID PROCESS

:  a process extending downward from each side of the sphenoid bone in humans and other mammals
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First Known Use of PTERYGOID PROCESS

1741
Medical Dictionary

pterygoid process

noun

Medical Definition of PTERYGOID PROCESS

:  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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