pterygoid process

pterygoid process

noun

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