petrous

[ pe-truhs, pee- ]

adjective

1. Anatomy. noting or pertaining to the hard dense portion of the temporal bone, containing the internal auditory organs; petrosal.
2. like stone, especially in hardness; stony; rocky.

petrous

/ ˈpiː-; ˈpɛtrəs /

adjective

1. anatomy denoting the dense part of the temporal bone that surrounds the inner ear
2. rare.
   like rock or stone

Other Words From

• super·petrous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of petrous¹

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French petros ) < Latin petrōsus rocky. See petr-, -ous

Word History and Origins

Origin of petrous¹

C16: from Latin petrōsus full of rocks

Example Sentences

Researchers targeted DNA stored in the petrous, a very dense bone that envelopes the inner ear.

From New York Times

The researchers located ancient DNA in their petrous bones—dense inner ear bones that preserve genetic material particularly well—but only managed to successfully retrieve a complete genome from the man.

From Science Magazine

In recent years, however, scientists have learned that the petrous bone of the inner ear contains an unusually high quantity of DNA, allowing them to locate usable genetic material even in otherwise degraded skeletons.

From Science Magazine

Some laboratories have used microCT scanning, both to preserve data from petrous bone, and to guide their drilling to minimize destruction of the specimen11.

From Nature

Researchers used the teeth and petrous bones of the remains to analyze their DNA.

From Fox News

Related Words

• craggy
• jagged
• rough