lateral pterygoid muscle

English

Alternative forms

• lateral pterygoid, external pterygoid muscle

Noun

lateral pterygoid muscle (plural lateral pterygoid muscles)

1. (anatomy) A muscle that arises from the greater wing of the sphenoid bone and from the outer surface of the lateral pterygoid plate, is inserted into the condyle of the mandible and the articular disk of the temporomandibular joint, and acts as an antagonist of the masseter, temporalis, and medial pterygoid muscles.

   Coordinate term: medial pterygoid muscle

Translations

muscle

• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 外翼肌 (wài yì jī)

• German: Musculus pterygoideus lateralis m

References

• “pterygoid muscle”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.