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

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 • Feb. 23, 2015

Along with taste, the glossopharyngeal nerve relays general sensations from the pharyngeal walls.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The glossopharyngeal nerve connects to taste buds in the posterior two thirds of the tongue.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The baroreceptors from the carotid arteries have axons in the glossopharyngeal nerve, and those from the aorta have axons in the vagus nerve.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

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 Physiology and Hygiene for Secondary Schools by Walters, Francis M.