a deep hollow on the side of the face flanking the posterior aspect of the ramus of the mandible with its attached muscles that is occupied by the parotid gland; it is lined with fascial laminae (the parotid sheath) derived from the investing layer of deep cervical fascia; the structures bounding the space collectively constitute the parotid bed. Surgeons operating in that area take advantage of the fact that the anteroposterior dimensions of the parotid space increase with protrusion of the mandible. SYN: bed of parotid gland, parotid recess, recessus parotideus.