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-/, adjectiveWords nearby incus
incursion, incursive, incurvate, incurvation, incurve, incus, incuse, incyclophoria, Ind, indaba, indagate
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
Example sentences from the Web for incus
British Dictionary definitions for incus
incus
/ (ˈɪŋkəs) /
noun plural incudes (ɪnˈkjuːdiːz)
Derived forms of incus
incudate (ˈɪŋkjʊˌdeɪt) or incudal (ˈɪŋkjʊdəl), adjectiveWord 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
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Medical 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
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.