styloid process

English

Noun

styloid process (plural styloid processes)

1. (anatomy) A slender projection of bone:
   1. A sharp spine that projects downward and forward from the inferior surface of the temporal bone just in front of the stylomastoid foramen and that is derived from cartilage of the second pharyngeal arch.
   2. An eminence on the distal extremity of the ulna projecting from the medial and posterior part of the bone and giving attachment to a ligament of the wrist joint.
   3. A conical prolongation of the lateral surface of the distal extremity of the radius that gives attachment to several tendons and ligaments.

References

• “styloid process”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.