What is "temporomandibular joint"

n. (context anatomy English) The joint on either side of the human head where the jaw (mandible) meets the skull (at the temporal bone).

n. the joint between the head of the lower jawbone and the temporal bone [syn: mandibular joint, articulatio temporomandibularis]

The temporomandibular joint is the joint of the jaw and is frequently referred to as TMJ. The TMJ is a bilateral synovial articulation between the mandible and temporal bone. The name of the joint is derived from the two bones which form the joint: the upper temporal bone which is part of the cranium ( skull), and the lower jawbone or mandible.