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ninth cranial nerve

DEFINITIONS OF: ninth cranial nerve

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n sensory nerve to the pharynx and back of the tongue; motor fibers innervate muscles that elevate the pharynx and larynx; includes parasympathetic fibers to the otic ganglion

Synonyms:
glossopharyngeal nerve, nervus glossopharyngeus
Type of:
cranial nerve
any of the 12 paired nerves that originate in the brain stem
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