petrous
Americanadjective
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Anatomy. noting or pertaining to the hard dense portion of the temporal bone, containing the internal auditory organs; petrosal.
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like stone, especially in hardness; stony; rocky.
adjective
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anatomy denoting the dense part of the temporal bone that surrounds the inner ear
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rare like rock or stone
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of petrous
1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French petros ) < Latin petrōsus rocky. See petr-, -ous
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To investigate further, scientists extracted ancient DNA from the petrous portion of the temporal bone in both skeletons, an area known for preserving genetic material.
From Science Daily • Feb. 17, 2026
Researchers targeted DNA stored in the petrous, a very dense bone that envelopes the inner ear.
From New York Times • May 26, 2022
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 • May 26, 2022
As an example, many researchers focus their sampling effort on the petrous bone, the hard portion of the temporal bone at the base of the skull, which houses the intricate structures of the inner ear.
From Nature • Aug. 27, 2019
With bone forceps or a fine saw, split open the petrous portion of the temporal bone and observe the cochlea and the semicircular canals.
From Physiology and Hygiene for Secondary Schools by Walters, Francis M.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
