|
Medical Definition of Os pterygoideum
1. A long process extending downward from the junction of the body and great wing of the sphenoid bone on either side; it is formed of two plates (lateral and medial), united anteriorly but separated below to form the pterygoid notch; the pterygoid fossa is formed by the divergence of these two plates posteriorly. Synonym: processus pterygoideus, os pterygoideum. (05 Mar 2000)