temporal
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temporal¹
- /ˈtɛm.pə.ɹəl/
Rhymes with -ɛmpəɹəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English temporal, temporel (“transitory, worldly, material, of secular society”), from Old French temporel or Latin temporālis (“of time (in grammar), temporary, relating to time as opposed to eternity”), from tempus (“time, period, opportunity”) + -ālis.
adjective more temporal · most temporal
-
Of or relating to the material world, as opposed to sacred or clerical.
temporal power, temporal courts
Similar: secular, lay, civil, worldly, areligious, earthly, irreligious, laicist, laicistic, mundane, nonreligious, profane · Opposite: spiritual, ecclesiastical
- Of limited time, transient, passing, not perpetual, as opposed to eternal. The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
- Lasting for a short time only.
- Of or relating to time as distinguished from space.
-
Of or relating to the sequence of time or to a particular time.
Similar: chronological
- Relating to or denoting time or tense.
noun temporals
- Anything temporal or secular; a temporality. for God's people love always to be dealing as well in temporals as spirituals
temporal²
- /ˈtɛm.pə.ɹəl/
Rhymes with -ɛmpəɹəl
Where it comes from
From Middle English, from Middle French timporal, temporal, from Late Latin temporālis, from tempora (“the temples of the head”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of temporalis.
adjective
- Of or situated in the temples of the head or the sides of the skull behind the orbits.
noun temporals
- Ellipsis of temporal bone
- Any of a reptile's scales on the side of the head between the parietal and supralabial scales, and behind the postocular scales.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: worldly, temporary, impermanent, profane, earthly, chronological, timed, timing, interim, short-term, temporarily, timeline, timetable, frontal, reclusion, respite
Translations
Every language
adj of or relating to time
| Español | temporal |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 時間的 /时间的 shíjiān de |
| Português | temporal |
| Français | temporel |
| Deutsch | zeitlich, temporal |
| Italiano | temporale |
| Ελληνικά | χρονικός chronikós |
| Română | temporal |
| Русский | временно́й vremennój |
adj of limited time
| Español | temporal |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 短暫 /短暂 |
| Português | temporário |
| Français | temporaire |
| Deutsch | zeitweilig, vorübergehend, temporär |
| Italiano | temporale |
| Română | temporar |
| Русский | вре́менный vrémennyj |
| עברית | זמני z'mani |
adj of or relating to the material world
| 中文 | 世俗的 shìsú de |
|---|---|
| Português | temporal |
| Français | temporel |
| Deutsch | diesseitig, weltlich |
| Română | lumesc, pământesc |
| Русский | све́тский svétskij, мирско́й mirskój |
adj lasting a short time only
| Português | temporário |
|---|---|
| Français | temporaire |
| Deutsch | temporär |
| Italiano | temporale |
| Română | temporar, trecător |
| Русский | преходя́щий prexodjáščij |
Talk about this word "temporal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/temporal. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. temporal. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/temporal "temporal." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/temporal.Cite this
@misc{temporal_2026,
title = {temporal},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/temporal},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
