incus

[ ing-kuhs ]

/ ˈɪŋ kəs /

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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.

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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

OTHER WORDS FROM incus

in·cu·date

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

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

Words nearby incus

incurrent, incursion, incursive, incurvate, incurve, incus, incuse, Ind, indaba, indagate, indamine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use incus in a sentence

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
It is passed over the incus in the same manner as an incus hook.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
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
The incus consists of an anvil-shaped portion from which arises a long tapering process.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

The ossicles of Procavia, which recall those of the Equidae, are chiefly remarkable for the small size of the body of the incus.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

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 forms of incus

incudate (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

Scientific 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.