Temporal means relating to time, or existing only for a limited time rather than forever.

When scientists study temporal patterns, they're looking at how things change over time: how temperatures shift through the seasons, or how a forest grows and changes over decades. A temporal sequence is the order in which events happen, like the steps in baking a cake or the chapters in a story.

The word often appears when people want to distinguish time from other dimensions. We move through temporal time differently than we move through physical space. You can walk forward and backward through a room, but you can only move forward through time.

Temporal also describes things that are temporary or worldly rather than eternal or spiritual. Ancient philosophers wrote about temporal concerns like wealth and fame versus timeless values like wisdom and kindness. A king's temporal power might last only during his lifetime, while his ideas could influence people for centuries.

You might hear the word in phrases like temporal lobe (the part of your brain that helps with hearing and memory) or temporal bone (a skull bone near your temples).