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zygomatic arch

American  

noun

Anatomy.
  1. the bony arch at the outer border of the eye socket, formed by the union of the cheekbone and the zygomatic process of the temporal bone.


zygomatic arch British  

noun

  1. Also called: zygoma.  the slender arch of bone that forms a bridge between the cheekbone and the temporal bone on each side of the skull of mammals

"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 zygomatic arch

First recorded in 1815–25

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.

You’re going to want to consume a lot of instant ramen doused with soy sauce so the sodium gives you moonface, hiding any hint of a zygomatic arch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

One of the major muscles that pulls the mandible upward during biting and chewing arises from the zygomatic arch.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Separating these areas is the bridge of bone called the zygomatic arch.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The pterion is located approximately two finger widths above the zygomatic arch and a thumb’s width posterior to the upward portion of the zygomatic bone.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The anterior edge of the base of the zygomatic arch of KU no.

From Records of the Fossil Mammal Sinclairella, Family Apatemyidae, From the Chadronian and Orellan by Clemens, William Alvin