zygomatic arch

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. the bony arch at the outer border of the eye socket, formed by the union of the cheekbone and the zygomatic process of the temporal bone.

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zygomatic arch British  

noun

1. Also called: zygoma.  the slender arch of bone that forms a bridge between the cheekbone and the temporal bone on each side of the skull of mammals

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Etymology

Origin of zygomatic arch

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

You’re going to want to consume a lot of instant ramen doused with soy sauce so the sodium gives you moonface, hiding any hint of a zygomatic arch.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

The zygomatic arch is the bony arch on the side of skull that spans from the area of the cheek to just above the ear canal.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The temporal fossa is the shallow space located on the lateral skull above the level of the zygomatic arch.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

On the lateral skull, the zygomatic arch consists of two parts, the temporal process of the zygomatic bone anteriorly and the zygomatic process of the temporal bone posteriorly.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The skull has a more carnivorous form; it has "a complete zygomatic arch, and the tympanic bone forms a bundle-like swelling on each side of the back of the skull."

From Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon by Sterndale, Robert Armitage