Phrase guide

tensor tympani

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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  • General-American: /ˌtɛn.sɚ ˈtɪm.pəˌnaɪ/

1

noun

Meaning 1

A small muscle of the middle ear that is located in the bony canal just above the bony part of the Eustachian tube, that arises from the canal containing it, from the cartilaginous portion of the Eustachian tube, and from the adjacent greater wing of the sphenoid bone, that is inserted by a long tendon into the manubrium of the malleus near its base, and that serves to adjust the tension of the tympanic membrane.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tensor

2

noun

Meaning 2

a small muscle in the middle ear that tenses to protect the eardrum

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: tensor

History

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin tensor tympanī (“tensor of the tympanum”).

Across languages

Translations

6 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 鼓膜張肌 /鼓膜张肌 (gǔmózhāngjī) — muscle
  • Chinese Mandarin: 張鼓膜肌 /张鼓膜肌 (zhānggǔmójī) — muscle
  • Italian: tensore del timpano — muscle
  • Italian: muscolo tensore del timpano — muscle
  • Spanish: tensor del tímpano — muscle
  • Spanish: músculo tensor del tímpano — muscle