incus

[ ing-kuh s ]

/ ˈɪŋ kəs /

noun, plural in·cu·des [in-kyoo-deez] /ɪnˈkyu diz/ for 1; in·cus for 2.

Anatomy. the middle one of a chain of three small bones in the middle ear of humans and other mammals.Compare malleus, stapes.

Also called anvil, anvil cloud, anvil top, thunderhead. the spreading, anvil-shaped, upper portion of a mature cumulonimbus cloud, smooth or slightly fibrous in appearance.

Nearby words

Origin of incus

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

Related formsin·cu·date

[ing-kyuh-deyt, -dit, in-] /ˈɪŋ kyəˌdeɪt, -dɪt, ˈɪn-/, in·cu·dal

[ing-kyuh-dl, in-] /ˈɪŋ kyə dl, ˈɪn-/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for incus

In the Carnivora vera the incus and stapes are small as compared with the malleus, but in the Pinnipedia they are large.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds
A variety of instruments have been described for the purpose of removal of the incus.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
It is passed over the incus in the same manner as an incus hook.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
The middle segment becomes in mammals the incus (one of the ear-ossicles), and in birds the quadrate.
Form and Function|E. S. (Edward Stuart) Russell

The body of the incus is flattened dorsally but otherwise rounded.
North American Jumping Mice (Genus Zapus)|Philip H. Krutzsch

British Dictionary definitions for incus

incus

/ (ˈɪŋkəs) /

noun plural incudes (ɪnˈkjuːdiːz)

the central of the three small bones in the middle ear of mammalsNontechnical name: anvil Compare malleus, stapes

Derived Formsincudate (ˈɪŋkjʊˌdeɪt) or incudal (ˈɪŋkjʊdəl), adjective

Word Origin for incus

C17: from Latin: anvil, from incūdere to forge

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for incus

incus

ear bone, 1660s, from Latin incus "anvil," from incudere "to forge with a hammer." So called by Belgian anatomist Andreas Vesalius (1514-1564).

Medicine definitions for incus

incus

[ ĭng′kəs ]

n. pl. in•cu•des (ĭng-kyōō′dēz)

The middle of the three ossicles in the middle ear, located between the malleus and the stapes and composed of a body and two limbs.anvil

Science definitions for incus

incus

[ ĭng-kyōō′dēz ]

Plural incudes (ĭng-kyōō′dēz)

The anvil-shaped bone (ossicle) that lies between the malleus and the stapes in the middle ear.

The elongated, often anvil-shaped upper portion of a fully developed cumulonimbus cloud; a thunderhead.