medial pterygoid muscle

medial pterygoid muscle definition - medical

medial pterygoid muscle

noun
A muscle with origin from the pterygoid fossa of the sphenoid bone and the tuberosity of the maxilla, with insertion into the medial surface of the mandible, with nerve supply from the medial pterygoid branch of the mandibular division of the trigeminal nerve, and whose action raises the mandible and closes the jaw.

The American Heritage® Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Comments
Improve this definition.
Do you have more to add? Share your linguistic knowledge or observation.
/Register to save your comments.