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Glite Dictionary
temporal artery

temporal artery

1 6.8
A blood vessel on the side of the head that carries blood to the temple and scalp
  • noun
  • /ˈtɛmpərəl ˈɑrteri/
  • Specialized
translation icon : arteria temporal
  • superficial temporal artery
  • temporal artery biopsy

Examples

  • It has excellent blood supply from the superficial temporal artery (25).

    Academic text (2014)

  • The surgeon carefully examined the patient's temporal artery during the operation.

  • The temporal artery supplies blood to the scalp and the side of the head.

  • During the examination, the doctor felt the pulse of the temporal artery near the temple.

Surface Forms

temporal artery singular
temporal arteries plural

Morphology

temporal + artery

The compound is compositionally built from 'temporal' (relating to the temple/side of the head) + 'artery' (a blood vessel), so its meaning — an artery supplying the temporal region/scalp — is directly derivable from the parts. This follows a common adjective+noun anatomical naming pattern (and is mirrored in many languages), so a learner who knows both constituents and the medical context can readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

Temporal artery is a literal name: temporal refers to the 'temple', the side of the head, and artery means a 'blood vessel' that carries blood. So, the name points to the blood vessel that gives blood to the side of the head.