Definitions

the temporal bone

Etymology phono-semantic

head

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

is a phono-semantic compound. The radical (head) relates the character to the skull and face, while the phonetic indicates the pronunciation. The traditional form uses the unsimplified head radical with the same phonetic. It was coined to denote the temporal bone or temple area on the side of the head. As a specialized anatomical term, its meaning is confined to this specific location, so it lacks extended or figurative uses.