Temporal (etymology)

The etymology (origin) of the term [temporal] is Latin and derives from [tempus and temporis] meaning "time". It is said that the name was given to the area of the head where the hair initially starts to become gray and whitish, marking the "passage of time". Many philosophists and scholars have said that "life is only temporal".

Anatomically, the [temple] is the area of the temporal region. The word "temple" as used in anatomy has a separate etymology from the word temple, used as "place of worship". Both come from Latin, but the word for the place of worship comes from [templum] meaning a "shrine" or a "place of worship".

Use of the term [temporal] is found in:

Temporal bone
Temporal muscle
Temporal fascia

Image: By Pearson Scott Foresman [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
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Temporalis muscle
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