temporal

1 of 3

adjective (1)

tem·​po·​ral ˈtem-p(ə-)rəl 

1

a

: of or relating to time as opposed to eternity

b

: of or relating to earthly life

c

: lay or secular rather than clerical or sacred : civil

lords temporal

2

: of or relating to grammatical tense or a distinction of time

3

a

: of or relating to time as distinguished from space

b

: of or relating to the sequence of time or to a particular time : chronological

temporally adverb

temporal

2 of 3

noun

: a bodily part (such as a bone or muscle) that is near the temples or the sides of the skull behind the orbits : a temporal part

temporal

3 of 3

adjective (2)

: of or relating to the temples or the sides of the skull behind the orbits

Did you know?

Temporal existence is often contrasted with spiritual existence, which many religions teach is eternal. The American system of government features a separation of church and state—that is, a separation of spiritual and temporal authority. But such separation is relatively recent. In past centuries, the Roman Catholic Church exerted temporal authority—that is, political power—throughout much of Europe, and the Church of England has always been officially headed by the temporal ruler of Great Britain. Temporal isn't always used in religious contexts; for example, child psychologists often measure "temporal processing"—that is, speed of thinking—in children with mental difficulties. Note that temporal may also mean "near the temples (of the head);" thus, your brain's temporal lobes are situated at your temples. But this temporal is based on a different Latin root.

Synonyms

Adjective (1)

• carnal
• earthborn
• earthbound
• earthly
• fleshly
• material
• mundane
• sublunary
• terrene
• terrestrial
• worldly

Examples of temporal in a Sentence

Adjective (1)

The struggle of the dispersed Tibetan people is made all the more newsworthy by the nonviolent emphasis of their spiritual and temporal leader, the Nobel Peace laureate Dalai Lama, who lives in exile in Dharamsala, India. —Flynne Bachleda, Publisher's Weekly, 15 Aug. 1994

By eschewing history and politics, The Last Train From Madrid leeches war of its particular temporal context, providing an eight-year-old with his first glimpse of war as eternal anonymous suffering. —Donald Hall, Harper's, May 1991

… each in their own way wanted an authority which could both uphold the law and maintain the order of society; once the first age was over, the consequence of this was the de facto separation between those who maintained the law … and the men of the sword who had the power to enforce temporal order. —Albert Hourani, A History of the Arab Peoples, 1991

The history of life is not a continuum of development, but a record punctuated by brief, sometimes geologically instantaneous, episodes of mass extinction and subsequent diversification. The geological time scale maps this history, for fossils provide our chief criterion in fixing the temporal order of rocks. —Stephen Jay Gould, Wonderful Life, 1989

do not worry about temporal concerns, but instead focus on spiritual matters

administrators on campus are in place to deal with students' temporal needs, and spiritual advisors are available to help students with their nontemporal needs

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

To indicate aging, the number needs to be followed by the temporal unit (5 years or 12 months), otherwise the number is just the name of the product. —Alissa Fitzgerald, Forbes, 27 Nov. 2024

In hindsight, Barcelona’s decision in 2008 to hand control to him, rather than to fall under the sway of his great ideological antithesis, Jose Mourinho, has taken on the air of a temporal border. —Rory Smith, The Athletic, 21 Nov. 2024

Such temporal variability only reinforced the Republican belief that the count was unfair. —Chris Jackson, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2024

This technique, called transcranial temporal interference electric stimulation (tTIS), non-invasively sends pulses into the brain without causing discomfort to the patient. —New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective (1)

Middle English temporal, temporel "transitory, worldly, material, of secular society," borrowed from Anglo-French, borrowed from Latin temporālis "of time (in grammar), temporary, relating to time as opposed to eternity" (Medieval Latin, "lay, secular"), from tempor-, tempus "time, period of time" + -ālis -al entry 1 — more at tempo

Noun

borrowed from Middle French, noun derivative of temporal, adjective, "of the temple" — more at temporal entry 3

Adjective (2)

borrowed from Middle French timporal, temporal, borrowed from Late Latin temporālis, from Latin tempor-, tempus temple entry 2 + -ālis -al entry 1

First Known Use

Adjective (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1541, in the meaning defined above

Adjective (2)

1597, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing temporal

• deep temporal artery
• middle temporal artery
• superficial temporal artery
• temporal artery
• temporal artery thermometer
• temporal bone
• temporal lobe
• temporal summation
• temporal thermometer

Kids Definition

temporal

adjective

tem·​po·​ral

ˈtem-p(ə-)rəl

1

: of or relating to time as opposed to eternity

2

a

: of or relating to earthly life

b

: of or relating to material as opposed to spiritual concerns

temporally

-ē

adverb

Medical Definition

temporal

1 of 3 adjective

tem·​po·​ral ˈtem-p(ə-)rəl 

: of or relating to time as distinguished from space

also : of or relating to the sequence of time or to a particular time

temporally

-ē 

adverb

temporal

2 of 3 noun

: a temporal part (as a bone or muscle)

temporal

3 of 3 adjective

: of or relating to the temples or the sides of the skull behind the orbits