malleus

American  

[mal-ee-uhs] / ˈmæl i əs /

noun

Anatomy.

mallei plural

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

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malleus British  

/ ˈmælɪəs /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: hammer.  the outermost and largest of the three small bones in the middle ear of mammals See also incus stapes

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malleus Scientific  

/ măl′ē-əs /

mallei plural

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

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• mallei
  plural

Etymology

Origin of malleus

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

Example Sentences

Without the malleus and incus, the vibrations of the tympanum would not be able to reach the stapes and then be sent to the cochlea.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Without the malleus and incus, the vibrations of the pinna would not be able to reach the stapes and then be sent to the cochlea.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Inside the Eustachian tube the malleus, which touches the inside of the tympanum, is attached to the incus, which is in turn attached to the horseshoe-shaped stapes.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2015

The three ossicles are the malleus, incus, and stapes, which are Latin names that roughly translate to hammer, anvil, and stirrup.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

Amongst the leaders was Cardinal Pole, to whom the practical precepts of The Prince had been recommended in lieu of the dreams of Plato, by Thomas Cromwell, the malleus monachorum of Henry VIII.

From Machiavelli, Volume I by Dacres, Edward