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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.


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

"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

Etymology

Origin of zygomatic arch

First recorded in 1815–25

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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

On the lateral side of the brain case, above the level of the zygomatic arch, is a shallow space called the temporal fossa.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Below the level of the zygomatic arch and deep to the vertical portion of the mandible is another space called the infratemporal fossa.

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

Indeed, in the dog and the cat the zygomatic arch, strongly convex, springs up in a marked manner from the plane of the lateral aspects of the skull.

From Artistic Anatomy of Animals by Cuyer, ?douard