trigeminal

American

[trahy-jem-uh-nl] / traɪˈdʒɛm ə nl /

adjective

of or relating to the trigeminal nerve.

noun

Also called trigeminal nerve. either one of the fifth pair of cranial nerves, consisting of motor fibers that innervate the muscles of mastication, and of sensory fibers that conduct impulses from the head and face to the brain.

trigeminal British

/ traɪˈdʒɛmɪnəl /

adjective

anatomy of or relating to the trigeminal nerve

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of trigeminal

1820–30; < New Latin trigemin ( us ) ( Latin: triple, equivalent to tri- tri- + geminus twin, double) + -al ¹

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

One was the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensory information from the skin and surface of the head.

From Science Daily • Dec. 18, 2025

In April 2024, Mr Lowe was diagnosed by a consultant neurologist at the Southern Health Trust with a “painful trigeminal neuropathy” which had “the Covid vaccine as its main causative factor”.

From BBC • Oct. 13, 2024

She was battling the chronic pain disorder trigeminal neuralgia.

From New York Times • Mar. 19, 2024

Before kicking “Boast Rattle” off, Ayers pauses to set a complimentary mood: “I’m gonna get into the Boasting spirit and talk to you guys about a brain disease I have called trigeminal neuralgia,” he begins.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 21, 2023

It is usually subcutaneous, and is frequently situated on the head or neck in the distribution of the trigeminal or superficial cervical nerves.

From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Thomson, Alexis

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023