What does malleus mean?
Malleus is the technical name for the hammer-shaped bone in the middle ear. Along with the incus and stapes, it forms the auditory ossicles, three exceptionally small bones that transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum toward the inner ear. The malleus is attached to the eardrum and transfers movement to the incus. Although the word is specialized and belongs chiefly to anatomy, audiology, and otology, it is immediately recognizable through its Latin meaning, “hammer,” and the bone’s distinctive shape. In everyday discussion, people are more likely to say “middle-ear bones” or “ossicles,” while malleus is the precise term when individual structures need to be identified. It is also sometimes confused with malleolus, which refers to an ankle bone.
nounThe malleus is the hammer-shaped bone of the middle ear that transfers sound vibrations from the eardrum to the incus. It is one of the three auditory ossicles, together with the incus and stapes.
- The hammer-shaped bone of the middle ear that transmits sound vibrations from the eardrum to the incus.
- A specialized anatomical term for one of the auditory ossicles, especially in anatomy, audiology, and otology.
"The malleus carries sound vibrations from the eardrum to the incus."
"Damage to the malleus can affect the transmission of sound through the middle ear."
"The three ossicles of the middle ear are the malleus, incus, and stapes."
In anatomical writing, mallei is the conventional plural of malleus; malleuses is also accepted.
"The mallei are the three small bones of the middle ear."
The malleus is the body’s tiny hammer, and its Latin name literally means “hammer.”
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Words that share this root
Related word forms
How malleus is actually used
This is a specialized anatomical term rather than an everyday word. In medical and scientific writing, it is commonly used with “ossicle,” “middle ear,” “incus,” and “stapes”; the plural is especially often given as “mallei.”
Easily confused with malleus
The malleus is a middle-ear bone, whereas a malleolus is one of the bones forming the ankle.