malleus

[ mal-ee-uhs ]

noun

, Anatomy.

, plural mal·le·i [mal, -ee-ahy].

1. the outermost of a chain of three small bones in the middle ear of mammals.

malleus

/ ˈmælɪəs /

noun

1. the outermost and largest of the three small bones in the middle ear of mammals Nontechnical namehammer See also incus stapes

malleus

/ măl′ē-əs /

, Plural mallei măl′ē-ī′

1. The hammer-shaped bone that is the largest and outermost of the three small bones (ossicles) in the middle ear.

Word History and Origins

Origin of malleus¹

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin: “hammer”

Word History and Origins

Origin of malleus¹

C17: from Latin: hammer

Example Sentences

When those sound waves hit your eardrum, it vibrates and that vibration is sent behind your eardrum to three tiny bones - the malleus, the incus and the stapes, the smallest bone in your body.

From BBC

They might have this arrangement of their incus and malleus for reasons that are entirely different from those explaining the arrangement of these bones in multituberculates or euharamiyidans.

From Nature

For instance, the keen hearing of mammals is partly down to tiny bones in the middle ear — the malleus, incus and ectotympanic.

From Nature

But to Stankovic’s surprise, the broken bone wasn’t the malleus but another tiny one called the incus.

From Washington Post

Caused by the burkholderia mallei bacteria, glanders can cause ulcers and lesions in the horse’s lungs, skin and respiratory tract.

From Wall Street Journal