incus

[ ing-kuhs ]

noun

plural incudes incus

1. Anatomy. the middle one of a chain of three small bones in the middle ear of humans and other mammals. Compare malleus, stapes.
2. Also called anvil, the spreading, anvil-shaped, upper portion of a mature cumulonimbus cloud, smooth or slightly fibrous in appearance.

incus

/ ˈɪŋkəs; ˈɪŋkjʊˌdeɪt; ˈɪŋkjʊdəl /

noun

1. the central of the three small bones in the middle ear of mammals Nontechnical nameanvil Compare malleus stapes

incus

/ ĭng-kyo̅o̅′dēz /

, Plural incudes ĭng-kyo̅o̅′dēz

1. The anvil-shaped bone (ossicle) that lies between the malleus and the stapes in the middle ear.
2. The elongated, often anvil-shaped upper portion of a fully developed cumulonimbus cloud; a thunderhead.

Derived Forms

• incudate, adjective

Other Word Forms

• in·cu·date [ing, -ky, uh, -deyt, -dit, in, -], in·cu·dal [ing, -ky, uh, -dl, in, -], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of incus¹

1660–70; < New Latin, Latin incūs anvil, equivalent to incūd- (stem of incūdere to hammer, beat upon) + -s nominative singular ending; incuse

Word History and Origins

Origin of incus¹

C17: from Latin: anvil, from incūdere to forge

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

Exceptionally clearly developed single-cell Cumulonimbus incus displaying the classic anvil shape; gusts will happen near and under it.

From Forbes