glossopharyngeal nerve

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. either of the ninth pair of cranial nerves, consisting of motor fibers that innervate the muscles of the pharynx, the soft palate, and the parotid glands, and of sensory fibers that conduct impulses to the brain from the pharynx, the middle ear, and the posterior third of the tongue.

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glossopharyngeal nerve British  

/ ˌɡlɒsəʊˌfærɪnˈdʒiːəl /

noun

1. the ninth cranial nerve, which supplies the muscles of the pharynx, the tongue, the middle ear, and the parotid gland

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Etymology

Origin of glossopharyngeal nerve

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Eventually it emerged that his glossopharyngeal nerve, which controls the ability to swallow efficiently, had been damaged as a result of radiation received to shrink a benign tumor.

From Seattle Times

Eagle syndrome occurs when a piece of bone called a styloid process, which extends from the skull into the ear, presses on or irritates adjacent structures, including the glossopharyngeal nerve.

From Washington Post

These fibers pass to the brain as parts of two pairs of nerves—those from the front of the tongue joining the trigeminal nerve, and those from the back of the tongue, the glossopharyngeal nerve.

From Project Gutenberg

But in these palaces of clashing splendour, the stunned brain fails to receive impressions from the glossopharyngeal nerve, and one eats unthinkingly like a dog.

From Project Gutenberg