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tempe

temple (side of head)

noun tahmp Rare

Origin: From Latin tempus (time; side of the head), which named both concepts in antiquity.

Usage Note

tempe designates the flat area on either side of the forehead, between the eye and the ear. It is always used in the plural when referring to both sides: les tempes. Greying hair at the temples is described as les tempes grisonnantes, a common literary image.

Examples

"Il avait les tempes grises."

Natural Translation

He had grey temples.

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