mastoid process

noun

1. a large, bony prominence on the base of the skull behind the ear, containing air spaces that connect with the middle ear cavity.

mastoid process

/ măs′toid′ /

1. A protruding bony area in the lower part of the skull that is located behind the ear in humans and many other vertebrates and serves as a site of muscle attachment. The mastoid process contains small air-filled cavities called mastoid cells that communicate with the middle ear.

Word History and Origins

Origin of mastoid process¹

First recorded in 1725–35

Example Sentences

For example, a small change of direction on the mastoid process, a bony projection behind the ear, indicates whether a person has detached or attached earlobes.

From The Guardian

Further, a prominence called the mastoid process is notched at the back, not smooth.

From New York Times

On the right mastoid process the skin was not quite healthy, a vesicatory having been applied three weeks previously.

From Project Gutenberg

Pain in left neck behind mastoid process, running backward and upward.

From Project Gutenberg

In the horse it is attached to the angle of the lower jaw by a tendon, which an aponeurosis that passes under the parotid gland binds to the mastoido-humeral muscle and the mastoid process.

From Project Gutenberg