temporal

¹

[ tem-per-uhl, tem-pruhl ]

adjective

1. of or relating to time.
2. pertaining to or concerned with the present life or this world; worldly:

   temporal joys.

3. enduring for a time only; temporary; transitory ( eternal ).
4. Grammar.
   1. of, relating to, or expressing time:

      a temporal adjective, such as recent, or a temporal adverb, such as recently.

   2. of or relating to the tenses of a verb.
5. secular, lay, or civil, as opposed to ecclesiastical.

noun

1. a temporal possession, estate, or the like; temporality.
2. something that is temporal; a temporal matter or affair.

temporal

²

[ tem-per-uhl, tem-pruhl ]

adjective

1. of, relating to, or situated near the temple or a temporal bone.

noun

1. any of several parts in the temporal region, especially the temporal bone.

temporal

¹

/ ˈtɛmpərəl; ˈtɛmprəl /

adjective

1. anatomy of, relating to, or near the temple or temples

temporal

²

/ ˈtɛmpərəl; ˈtɛmprəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to time
2. of or relating to secular as opposed to spiritual or religious affairs

   the lords spiritual and temporal

3. lasting for a relatively short time
4. grammar of or relating to tense or the linguistic expression of time in general

   a temporal adverb

temporal

/ tĕm′pər-əl /

1. Relating to or near the bones that form the sides and part of the base of the skull.

Derived Forms

• ˈtemporalness, noun
• ˈtemporally, adverb

Other Words From

• tem·po·ral·ly adverb
• tem·po·ral·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of temporal¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English (adjective and noun) from Latin temporālis, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus ) “time” + -ālis adjective suffix; -al ¹

Origin of temporal²

First recorded in 1535–45; from Late Latin temporālis, equivalent to tempor- (stem of tempus ) temple ² + -ālis -al ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of temporal¹

C16: from Late Latin temporālis belonging to the temples; see temple ²

Origin of temporal²

C14: from Latin temporālis, from tempus time

Example Sentences

Riddled by seizures, he was referred to a surgeon, who localized the epilepsy to the temporal lobe inside his brain, home of the hippocampus.

From Science Daily

This distortion of time, called temporal disintegration, can isolate people in a stressful moment and disrupt the linear flow of time that weaves our life story together, affecting personal identity.

From Salon

“Gone with the Wind” lasted nearly four hours, as would such later temporal blockbusters as “Lawrence of Arabia” and “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World,” with an intermission.

From Los Angeles Times

I framed the failure of the first German democracy in temporal terms.

From Salon

This computational approach leverages artificial intelligence to not only chart the immediate genetic responses of individual cells but also situate these responses within the physical and temporal landscape of the spinal cord.

From Science Daily

Related Words

• earthly
• materialistic
• physical
• sensual