what's this part of the body called?

[pezwookiee]

Hey, what's the part of the body called -- that little space behind your ear where no hair grows and the skull nubs out a little bit? Those are sexy.

[Chas.E]

It is the mastoid bone.

Ah, I knew those many hours I spent in drawing class studying anatomy would come in handy someday.

[Bboy]

More specifically, the Mastoid Projection, or the Mastoid Process.

[Duck Duck Goose]

So, what does he win?

[Theobroma]

BTW, my anatomy teacher mentioned that "mastoid" means "breastlike." (Like mastitis, mastectomy, etc)

so...that little bone is the "mastoid process" = "breastlike protrusion."

Another fine useless factoid. Also, since Chas. E. came up with "mastoid" first, I hereby declare him the Mastoid Master.

[TheeGrumpy]

Or, it could trace its etymology to "masticate" -- to chew.

--Grump "bite me" y

[Lyra]

Actually it is not a separate bone. It is only an extension of the temporal bone, called the mastoid process or projection as everyone else has said.

[Chas.E]

Originally posted by Theobroma
Another fine useless factoid. Also, since Chas. E. came up with "mastoid" first, I hereby declare him the Mastoid Master.

Don't tease me like that, or I will declare you a mastoid baiter. ;)

[Theobroma]

Well, there's a mastoid muscle attached to the mastoid process--it's the powerful muscle we use to chew. People with very little subcutaneous fat (very thin, or very fit people) often have a prominent mastoid muscle--Brad Pitt does, for instance. I'm willing to bet that's where "mastication" comes from--it's the act we perform with the muscle that's attached to the breast-like protrusion. Whew!:)

[Bboy]

breast-like protrusionIf you saw it, I guarantee a breast is not what would come to mind.
This thing looks a lot more like a part of the male anatomy.

[slortar]

Incidentally, there's a rather useful nerve complex in that area, right undernearth the lower edge of the jaw. Jam a couple of fingers into that part on either side and you can not only make a strong man go up on his toes, Darth Vader style, but also make him cry. :-D Ah, the joys of a mispent youth...

[Lance Turbo]

Ok, I read the bit about breasts and thought to myself, "surely this is one of those things that somebody's dumbass teacher said and was accepted as true." It should be easy enough to debunk, so I'll have at it.

I went to the dictionary (http://merriamwebster.com) and looked up mastoid. Much to my dismay the etymology was listed as follows.

Main Entry: 1mas·toid
Pronunciation: 'mas-"toid
Function: adjective
Etymology: New Latin mastoides resembling a nipple, mastoid, from Greek mastoeidEs, from mastos breast

WTF! So I looked up masticate.

Main Entry: mas·ti·cate
Pronunciation: 'mas-t&-"kAt
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): -cat·ed; -cat·ing
Etymology: Late Latin masticatus, past participle of masticare, from Greek mastichan to gnash the teeth; akin to Greek masasthai to chew.

So according to this dictionary, these words are unrelated, but I refuse to believe that. Does anyone feel like double checking this with the OED?

[TheeGrumpy]

Without looking it up, I'd say that there is an essential similarity between chewing and suckling which may be preserved in the etymology. If that is the case, though, what are we to make of "master" or... other words that begin with mast-?

--Grump "milking the cobra" y