trigeminal nerve

American  

[trahy-jem-uhn-uhl nurv] / traɪˈdʒɛm ən əl ˈnɜrv /

noun

1. Anatomy. either one of the fifth pair of cranial nerves, consisting of motor fibers that innervate the muscles of mastication, and of sensory fibers that conduct impulses from the head and face to the brain.

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trigeminal nerve British  

noun

1. either one of the fifth pair of cranial nerves, which supply the muscles of the mandible and maxilla. Their ophthalmic branches supply the area around the orbit of the eye, the nasal cavity, and the forehead

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trigeminal nerve Scientific  

/ trī-jĕm′ə-nəl /

1. Either of the fifth pair of cranial nerves, having sensory and motor functions in the face, teeth, mouth, and nasal cavity.

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Example Sentences

Trigeminal neuralgia is usually caused by compression of the trigeminal nerve - which transmits sensations of pain and touch from your face, teeth and mouth to the brain.

From BBC • Feb. 3, 2026

One was the trigeminal nerve, which carries sensory information from the skin and surface of the head.

From Science Daily • Dec. 18, 2025

There are certain receptors in the trigeminal nerve that can respond to both smells and actual temperatures in the environment to trigger the sensation of temperature in a person.

From Slate • Oct. 29, 2021

Brain scans suggest cluster headaches affect the hypothalamus, trigeminal nerve and autonomic nervous system.

From Washington Post • Apr. 2, 2021

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.