stapes

noun

sta·​pes ˈstā-(ˌ)pēz 

plural stapes or stapedes ˈstā-pə-ˌdēz 

: the innermost ossicle of the middle ear of mammals

called also stirrup

see ear illustration

Examples of stapes in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The biggest muscle is the gluteus maximus in your buttocks; the smallest is the stapedius, which stabilizes the smallest bone in your body — the stapes bone of the middle ear. —Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Apr. 2022

At first, the stapes was a stout shaft, both conveying groundborne vibrations to the ear and strengthening the skull. —David George Haskell, Wired, 8 Mar. 2022

Similarly, The Row -- Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen's label designing luxuriously elevated stapes -- will show in Paris for the first time since 2016. —Leah Dolan, CNN, 28 Feb. 2022

The stapes and malleus are tiny bones that transmit hearing through the inner ear. —Christopher Linstrom, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2011

Word History

Etymology

New Latin staped-, stapes, from Medieval Latin, stirrup, alteration of Late Latin stapia

First Known Use

1615, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for stapes

• escapes
• landscapes
• seascapes
• apes
• capes
• crepes
• drapes
• gapes
• grapes
• rapes
• scapes
• scrapes

Kids Definition

stapes

noun

sta·​pes ˈstā-pēz 

plural stapes or stapedes ˈstā-pə-ˌdēz 

: stirrup sense 2

Medical Definition

stapes

noun

sta·​pes ˈstā-(ˌ)pēz 

plural stapes or stapedes stə-ˈpē-ˌdēz 

: the innermost of the chain of three ossicles in the middle ear of a mammal having the form of a stirrup, a base occupying the oval window, and a head connected with the incus

called also stirrup