stapes

American  

[stey-peez] / ˈsteɪ piz /

noun

Anatomy.

plural

stapes, stapedes

1. 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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stapes British  

/ ˈsteɪpiːz, stæˈpiːdɪəl /

noun

1. Nontechnical name: stirrup bone.  the stirrup-shaped bone that is the innermost of three small bones in the middle ear of mammals Compare incus malleus

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stapes Scientific  

/ stā′pēz /

plural

stapes

1. The roughly stirrup-shaped bone that is the innermost of the three small bones (ossicles) of the middle ear.

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Other Word Forms

• stapedial adjective

Etymology

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”; foot