[trahy-jem-uh-nl] 
Anatomy| 1. | of or pertaining to the trigeminal nerve. |
| 2. | Also called trigeminal nerve. 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. |
| trigeminal nerve n. Either of the fifth pair of cranial nerves, having sensory and motor functions in the face, teeth, mouth, and nasal cavity. Also called trigeminus. |
trigeminal tri·gem·i·nal (trī-jěm'ə-nəl)
adj.
Of or relating to the trigeminal nerves.
trigeminal nerve n.
The chief sensory nerve of the face and the motor nerve of the muscles of chewing. The nuclei of the nerve are in the mesencephalon and in the pons and extend down into the cervical portion of the spinal cord. The nerve emerges by two sensory and motor roots from the pons and enters a cavity of the dura mater at the temporal bone, where its sensory root expands to form the trigeminal ganglion that forms three branches that are designated ophthalmic, maxillary, and mandibular. Also called fifth cranial nerve, trigeminus.
| trigeminal nerve (trī-jěm'ə-nəl) Pronunciation Key
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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