temporal
adj.adj. relating to time or how long something lasts. It describes things that are not permanent or that happen within a specific period.
adj. relating to time as opposed to eternity; concerned with the sequence of events or the passage of time. Often contrasted with 'spatial' in academic contexts.
The story has a complex temporal structure.
Researchers are studying the temporal patterns of bird migration to see if they change as the climate warms.
The philosopher argued that our perception of reality is limited by our temporal existence, preventing us from seeing the universe as a single, unchanging whole.
From Middle English temporal, temporel (“transitory, worldly, material, of secular society”), from Old French temporel or Latin temporālis (“of time (in grammar), temporary, relating to time as opposed to eternity”), from tempus (“time, period, opportunity”) + -ālis.
From Middle English, from Middle French timporal, temporal, from Late Latin temporālis, from tempora (“the temples of the head”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of temporalis.
Typically precedes the noun it modifies. In anatomy, it refers specifically to the temples or the sides of the skull.