stylomandibular ligament /stī′lōmandib″yələr/ [Gk, stylos + L, mandere, to chew, ligare, to bind] , one of a pair of specialized bands of cervical fascia forming an accessory part of the temporomandibular joint. It extends from the styloid process of the temporal bone to the ramus of the mandible between the masseter and pterygoideus muscles and separates the parotid gland from the submandibular gland. Compare sphenomandibular ligament.
