tensor veli palati (muscle)

ten·sor ve·li pa·la·ti (mus·cle)

[TA] muscle that tenses the soft palate so that the tongue may compress the food bolus against it during swallowing, forcing the mass into the oropharynx; origin, scaphoid fossa of sphenoid, cartilaginous and membranous part of pharyngotympanic (auditory) tube and spine of sphenoid; insertion, posterior border of hard palate and aponeurosis of soft palate; action, tenses the soft palate for swallowing; contributes to opening of auditory tube to enable equilibration of pressure; nerve supply, branches of trigeminal nerve through the otic ganglion. Synonym(s): musculus tensor veli palatini [TA], musculus palatosalpingeus, tensor (muscle) of soft palate