ossicle

[os-i-kuhl]

noun

1. a small bone.

ossicle

/ ɒˈsɪkjʊlə, ˈɒsɪkəl /

noun

1. a small bone, esp one of those in the middle ear

ossicle

1. A small bone, especially one of the three located in the middle ear (the incus, malleus, and stapes) that transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear.

Other Word Forms

• ossicular adjective
• ossiculate adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of ossicle¹

1570–80; < Latin ossiculum, equivalent to ossi- (combining form of os ) bone + -culum -cle ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of ossicle¹

C16: from Latin ossiculum, from os bone

Example Sentences

As the researchers write at one point, despite losing part of the palate and braincase, "the remainder of the skull is well-preserved, even showing a full arrangement of palpebral ossicles in place."

Read more on Salon

You can clearly discern the individual calcite plates, or ossicles, that made up the skeletal frames of these animals when they were alive.

Read more on BBC

In most birds, the individual bones, called scleral ossicles, are simple and fairly square.

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The opening at the centre of these ossicles is narrow, restricting access for light into the eye and providing strong evidence that Oculudentavis was active in well-lit, daytime environments.

Read more on Nature

Reptiles and birds all have only one middle-ear bone—the bones that would otherwise be their “ossicles” are instead fused with the joints of their jaw.

Read more on Scientific American