temporal

[ tem-per-uh l, tem-pruh l ]

/ ˈtɛm pər əl, ˈtɛm prəl /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR temporal ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

of or relating to time.

pertaining to or concerned with the present life or this world; worldly: temporal joys.

enduring for a time only; temporary; transitory (opposed to eternal).

Grammar.

of, relating to, or expressing time: a temporal adjective, such as recent, or a temporal adverb, such as recently.
of or relating to the tenses of a verb.

secular, lay, or civil, as opposed to ecclesiastical.

noun Usually temporals.

a temporal possession, estate, or the like; temporality.

something that is temporal; a temporal matter or affair.

Words nearby temporal

temple terrace, templet, tempo, tempolabile, tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis, temporal, temporal arteritis, temporal artery, temporal bone, temporal fossa, temporal gyrus

Origin of temporal

1300–50; Middle English (adj. and noun) < Latin temporālis, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus) time + -ālis -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM temporal

tem·po·ral·ly, adverbtem·po·ral·ness, noun

Definition for temporal (2 of 2)

temporal²

[ tem-per-uh l, tem-pruh l ]

/ ˈtɛm pər əl, ˈtɛm prəl /

Anatomy, Zoology

adjective

of, relating to, or situated near the temple or a temporal bone.

noun

any of several parts in the temporal region, especially the temporal bone.

Origin of temporal

1535–45; < Late Latin temporālis, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus) temple² + -ālis -al¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Examples from the Web for temporal

Naturalism tells us that mystics had temporal lobe epilepsy.
Eben Alexander Has a GPS for Heaven|Patricia Pearson|October 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Re-reading your own work, especially at some temporal distance, is a dangerous business.
Kerouac Biographer Gets Back on the Road|Dennis McNally|October 2, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Compulsive writing, or hypergraphia, is a well-known, if uncommon, symptom of temporal lobe epilepsy.
The Seizure Medication That Turns You Into a Poet|Cat Ferguson|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But a drug like lamotrigine is not selective, and so it also affects the behavior of the rest of the temporal lobe.
The Seizure Medication That Turns You Into a Poet|Cat Ferguson|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The temporal judgment regarding the bothers was guilty, and both were sentenced to death.
How the North Carolina GOP Made a Wrongfully Convicted Man a Death Row Scapegoat|Michael Daly|September 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The Mormon priesthood look toward the establishment of a temporal kingdom in connection with their religion.
Woman, Church & State|Matilda Joslyn Gage
The roots have gone down through the temporal, and have laid hold of the Eternal.
Expositions of Holy Scripture|Alexander Maclaren
She never had had power over her son; nor over any man, save the temporal power of beauty.
The Crisis, Complete|Winston Churchill
Yet the devout villagers, in their appeal for spiritual aid, did not forget the importance of temporal weapons.
Historic Tales, Vol. 1 (of 15)|Charles Morris
In such ethereal apparitional dawns one walks with the Eternal, and all temporal things fade away.
Ghosts I Have Seen|Violet Tweedale

British Dictionary definitions for temporal (1 of 2)

temporal¹

/ (ˈtɛmpərəl, ˈtɛmprəl) /

adjective

of or relating to time

of or relating to secular as opposed to spiritual or religious affairsthe lords spiritual and temporal

lasting for a relatively short time

grammar of or relating to tense or the linguistic expression of time in generala temporal adverb

Derived forms of temporal

temporally, adverbtemporalness, noun

Word Origin for temporal

C14: from Latin temporālis, from tempus time

British Dictionary definitions for temporal (2 of 2)

temporal²

/ (ˈtɛmpərəl, ˈtɛmprəl) /

adjective

anatomy of, relating to, or near the temple or temples

Word Origin for temporal

C16: from Late Latin temporālis belonging to the temples; see temple ²

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

Medical definitions for temporal

temporal

[ tĕm′pər-əl, tĕm′prəl ]

adj.

Of, relating to, or near the temples of the skull.

Scientific definitions for temporal

temporal

[ tĕm′pər-əl ]

Relating to or near the bones that form the sides and part of the base of the skull.

temporal

adjective

noun Usually temporals.

Words related to temporal

Words nearby temporal

Origin of temporal

OTHER WORDS FROM temporal

Definition for temporal (2 of 2)

adjective

noun

Origin of temporal

Examples from the Web for temporal

British Dictionary definitions for temporal (1 of 2)

adjective

Derived forms of temporal

Word Origin for temporal

British Dictionary definitions for temporal (2 of 2)

adjective

Word Origin for temporal

Medical definitions for temporal

adj.

Scientific definitions for temporal