mastoid

[ mas-toid ]

/ ˈmæs tɔɪd /

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adjective Anatomy.

of or relating to the mastoid process.

resembling a breast or nipple.

noun

the mastoid process.

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Origin of mastoid

1725–35; <New Latin mastoīdēs<Greek mastoeidḗs.See masto-, -oid

OTHER WORDS FROM mastoid

in·ter·mas·toid, adjectivepost·mas·toid, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use mastoid in a sentence

The slenderness is especially noticeable in the breadth across the zygomata, mastoids, and rostrum.
A New Pocket Gopher (Genus Thomomys) From Wyoming and Colorado|E. Raymond Hall
The skull of the female oregonensis is more heavily ridged and is relatively broader across the mastoids than that of effera.
American Weasels|E. Raymond Hall
Skull wide across zygomatic arches and narrow across mastoids; rostrum narrow and posterior border of palate straight.
Geographic Variation in Red-backed Mice (Genus Clethrionomys) of the Southern Rocky Mountain Region|E. Lendell Cockrum

British Dictionary definitions for mastoid

mastoid

/ (ˈmæstɔɪd) /

adjective

shaped like a nipple or breast

designating or relating to a nipple-like process of the temporal bone behind the ear

noun

the mastoid process

informal mastoiditis

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