malleus

[ mal-ee-uhs ]

/ ˈmæl i əs /

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noun, plural mal·le·i

[mal-ee-ahy]. /ˈmæl iˌaɪ/. Anatomy.

the outermost of a chain of three small bones in the middle ear of mammals.

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Also called hammer .

Compare incus (def. 1), stapes.

Origin of malleus

First recorded in 1660–70; from Latin: “hammer”

Words nearby malleus

mallemuck, mallenders, malleolar, malleolus, mallet, malleus, Mallia, malling, Mallon, Mallorca, Mallory

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

How to use malleus in a sentence

An articular facet begins on the manubrium near the neck and spirals halfway around the head of the malleus.
Genera and Subgenera of Chipmunks|John A. White
(i) Adhesion of the handle of the malleus to the promontory.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
Another method is to resect the handle of the malleus (Fig. 195).
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
In doing this the instrument will embrace the neck of the malleus (Fig. 202).
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various

In Chiroptera the ossicles and especially the malleus much resemble those of shrews.
The Vertebrate Skeleton|Sidney H. Reynolds

British Dictionary definitions for malleus

malleus

/ (ˈmælɪəs) /

noun plural -lei (-lɪˌaɪ)

the outermost and largest of the three small bones in the middle ear of mammalsNontechnical name: hammer See also incus, stapes

Word Origin for malleus

C17: from Latin: hammer

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 malleus

malleus

[ măl′ē-əs ]

Plural mallei (măl′ē-ī′)

The hammer-shaped bone that is the largest and outermost of the three small bones (ossicles) in the middle ear.