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stylomandibular

stylomandibular

9.9
Relating to the bone near the ear and the lower jaw
  • adjective
  • /ˌstaɪloʊˈmændɪbjuːlər/
  • Specialized
: estilomandibular
  • The posterior border of the superficial part is separated from the parotid gland by the stylomandibular ligament, which is the thick part of the parotid fascia.
  • stylomandibular ligament

Examples

  • Two possible causes of the syndrome are elongation of the styloid process and ossification of the stylohyoid or stylomandibular ligaments.

    Academic text (2006)
  • The stylomandibular ligament connects the styloid process to the mandible, playing a crucial role in jaw movement.

  • In anatomy classes, students learn about the stylomandibular region and its significance in facial structure.

  • The doctor explained how an injury to the stylomandibular area can affect both the temporal bone and jaw alignment.

Surface Forms

stylomandibular positive

Morphology

stylomandibular = mandibular (semi-transparent) = stylo + mandible + ar

The word is a clear anatomical formation built from 'stylo-' and 'mandibular', but the terminology is specialist rather than readily accessible to an average learner.

Etymology

Stylomandibular joins stylo- and mandibular. Stylo- comes from a word meaning 'pillar' or 'point', as in stylus, a small pointed stick. Mandibular comes from mandible, meaning 'jaw', so stylomandibular describes structures that link the pillar-like 'styloid' part to the 'jaw'.