Temporal

a. [Lat. temporalis, from tempus, temporis, time; O. Fr., Pr., Sp., & Pg. temporal, N. Fr. temporel, It. temporale.] 1. Of, or pertaining to, time, that is, to the present life, or this world; secular, as opposed to sacred, or eternal. The things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Cor. iv. 18. Is this an hour for temporal affairs? Shak. 2. Civil or political, as opposed to ecclesiastical; as, temporal power; temporal courts. Temporal augment (Gram.), the increase of the short initial vowel of a verb, in certain tenses, into the corresponding long one. Syn.—Transient; fleeting; transitory.

a. [Lat. temporalis, from tempora, the temples; Fr. & Sp. temporal, It. temporale. See TEMPLE.] (Anat.) Of, or pertaining to, the temple or temples of the head; as, the temporal bone; a temporal artery or vein; temporal muscle.