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stapes

[ stey-peez ]
/ ˈsteɪ piz /

noun, plural sta·pes, sta·pe·des [stuh-pee-deez]. /stəˈpi diz/. Anatomy.

the innermost, stirrup-shaped bone of a chain of three small bones in the middle ear of humans and other mammals, involved in the conduction of sound vibrations to the inner ear.

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Also called stirrup .
Compare incus (def. 1), malleus.

Origin of stapes

First recorded in 1660–70; from New Latin stapēs, Medieval Latin: “stirrup,” perhaps etymologizing alteration of Italian staffa “stirrup” (from Germanic ) by association with Latin stāre “to stand,” and pēs, stem ped- “foot”; see foot

OTHER WORDS FROM stapes

sta·pe·di·al [stuh-pee-dee-uhl], /stəˈpi di əl/, adjective

Words nearby stapes

stapedectomy, stapedial, stapediotenotomy, stapedius, stapelia, stapes, stapes-mobilization operation, staph, Staphcillin, staphylectomy, staphyledema
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for stapes

British Dictionary definitions for stapes

stapes
/ (ˈsteɪpiːz) /

noun plural stapes or stapedes (stæˈpiːdiːz)

the stirrup-shaped bone that is the innermost of three small bones in the middle ear of mammalsNontechnical name: stirrup bone Compare incus, malleus

Derived forms of stapes

stapedial (stæˈpiːdɪəl), adjective

Word Origin for stapes

C17: via New Latin from Medieval Latin, perhaps a variant of staffa, stapeda stirrup, influenced in form by Latin stāre to stand + pēs a foot
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

Medical definitions for stapes

stapes
[ stā′pēz ]

n. pl. stapes

The smallest of the three auditory ossicles, whose base fits into the oval window and whose head is articulated with the lenticular process of the long limb of the incus.stirrup
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for stapes

stapes
[ stā′pēz ]

Plural stapes stapedes (stā′pĭ-dēz′)

The roughly stirrup-shaped bone that is the innermost of the three small bones (ossicles) of the middle ear.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.