temporal1
/ˈtɛmp(ə)r(ə)l
/adjective
1Relating to worldly as opposed to spiritual affairs; secular: the Church did not imitate the secular rulers who thought only of temporal gain...
- The cardinal should leave temporal affairs to the government.
- He was the temporal and spiritual ruler of the Muslim world.
- Temporal and spiritual authority converge in him.
Synonyms
secular, non-spiritual, worldly, profane, material, mundane, earthly, terrestrial;
non-religious, lay;
carnal, fleshly, mortal, corporeal
rare sublunary, terrene
2Relating to time: the spatial and temporal dimensions of human interference in complex ecosystems...
- This issue explores some of the temporal and political dimensions of art.
- Ancient DNA provides a temporal dimension to the study of genetic variation.
- These spectres exist in different temporal dimensions.
Synonyms
of time, time-related
2.1 Grammar Relating to or denoting time or tense.English has plenty of adjectives for modifying the temporal properties of nouns, including ‘former’, ‘recent’, and ‘forthcoming’....
- The meaning of the tense morphemes alone does not completely determine the temporal interpretation of a sentence.
- These meanings typically have to do with temporalor logical relations between the events described in the clauses.
Origin
Middle English: from Old French temporel or Latin temporalis, from tempus, tempor- 'time'.
Rhymes
temporal2
/ˈtɛmp(ə)r(ə)l/adjective Anatomy
Of or situated in the temples of the head: arterial biopsy usually confirms the diagnosis of temporal arteritis...
- The middle cerebral artery supplies much of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes of the brain.
- Commonly used sites for catheterization include the temporal veins.
- A temporal artery biopsy is suggested.
Origin
Late Middle English: from late Latin temporalis, from tempora 'the temples' (see temple2).