tensor veli palatini

noun

tensor ve·​li pa·​la·​ti·​ni -ˈvē-ˌlī-ˌpal-ə-ˈtī-ˌnī How to pronounce tensor veli palatini (audio)
: a ribbonlike muscle of the palate that arises from the scaphoid fossa, from the spine of the sphenoid bone, and from the lateral cartilaginous wall of the eustachian tube, that is attached by a tendon which hooks around the pterygoid plate of the sphenoid bone to insert especially into the soft palate, and that acts especially to tense the soft palate

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Cite this Entry

“Tensor veli palatini.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/tensor%20veli%20palatini. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

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