tympanic bone

noun

Anatomy, Zoology.

1. (in mammals) a bone of the skull, supporting the tympanic membrane and enclosing part of the tympanum or middle ear.

tympanic bone

noun

1. the part of the temporal bone in the mammalian skull that surrounds the auditory canal

Word History and Origins

Origin of tympanic bone¹

First recorded in 1840–50

Example Sentences

The skull has a more carnivorous form; it has "a complete zygomatic arch, and the tympanic bone forms a bundle-like swelling on each side of the back of the skull."

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