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

See Examples For:

trigeminal nerve

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

The pain itself is caused by dilated blood vessels pressing on the trigeminal nerve.

From Washington Post ● Apr. 2, 2021

Pain is a variable symptom; when present, it usually radiates along the branches of the first and second divisions of the trigeminal nerve.

From Manual of Surgery Volume Second: Extremities—Head—Neck. Sixth Edition. by Miles, Alexander