definitions

petrous

[ pe-truh s, pee- ]
/ ˈpɛ trəs, ˈpi- /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR petrous ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

Anatomy. noting or pertaining to the hard dense portion of the temporal bone, containing the internal auditory organs; petrosal.
like stone, especially in hardness; stony; rocky.

RELATED WORDS

jagged, craggy, rough, flinty, hard, inflexible, petrified, solid, lapidarian, lithic, pebbly, rock-ribbed

Nearby words

petrosphenoid, petrosquamosal, petrostate, petrotympanic fissure, petrouchka, petrous, petrous ganglion, petrovsk, petrozavodsk, petrópolis, petsamo

Origin of petrous

1350–1400; Middle English (< Middle French petros) < Latin petrōsus rocky. See petr-, -ous

Related forms

su·per·pet·rous, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for petrous

British Dictionary definitions for petrous

petrous

/ (ˈpɛtrəs, ˈpiː-) /

adjective

anatomy denoting the dense part of the temporal bone that surrounds the inner ear
rare like rock or stone

Word Origin for petrous

C16: from Latin petrōsus full of rocks
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

Medicine definitions for petrous

petrous

[ pĕt′rəs ]

adj.

Of stony hardness.
Of or relating to the dense hard portion of the temporal bone that forms a protective case for the inner ear.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.