SINCE 1828

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

malleus

noun mal·le·us \ ˈma-lē-əs \

Definition of malleus

plural mallei play \-lē-ˌī, -lē-ˌē\

: the outermost of a chain of three small bones of the mammalian middle ear — called also hammer; see ear illustration

See malleus defined for kids

Recent Examples of malleus from the Web

The auditory ossicles of the middle ear – the malleus, incus and stapes – are the tiniest bones in the human body.

— emily matchar, Smithsonian, "Doctors Are 3D Printing Ear Bones To Help With Hearing Loss," 18 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'malleus.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of malleus

New Latin, from Latin, hammer

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1646

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

Medical Dictionary

malleus

noun mal·le·us \ ˈmal-ē-əs \

medical Definition of malleus

plural mallei play \-ē-ˌī, -ē-ˌē\

: the outermost of the chain of three ossicles in the middle ear of a mammal consisting of a head, neck, short process, long process, and handle with the short process and handle being fastened to the tympanic membrane and the head articulating with the head of the incus — called also hammer

Illustration of malleus

Learn More about malleus

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about malleus

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up malleus? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show

WORD OF THE DAY

riposte

play

a quick and clever reply

BROWSE DICTIONARY

mallet

mallet cutting

malleus

mallie

Malling rootstock

Test Your Vocabulary

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

Which is a synonym of raillery?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

TAKE THE QUIZ

SCRABBLE® Sprint

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Words at Play

Noun + Verb Insult Generator

A collection of obscure put-downs

alt-5b0834b915e3f

'Judicial' v. 'Judicious': We'll Settle The Case

A judgment call

alt-5b06e60511014

'Deprived' vs. 'Depraved'

Nobody wants to be either.

alt-5b05d8545c817

'Folksonomy': Let’s Get Organized

Tag the way you want to tag.

Ask the Editors

video-ghost-words

Ghost Word

The story of an imaginary word that managed to sneak past our editors and enter the dictionary.

2017 Word of the Year: Behind the Scenes

How we chose 'feminism'

video-literally

Literally

How to use a word that (literally) drives some people nuts.

video-his-or-her

Is Singular 'They' a Better Choice?

The awkward case of 'his or her'

Word Games

May 2018 Words of the Day Quiz

We’re already at the end of May?!

Take the quiz

Words Used by Nabokov Quiz

How familiar are you with Nabokov’s unfamiliar vocabulary?

Take the quiz

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

How Strong Is Your Vocabulary?

Test your vocabulary with our 10-question quiz!

Take the quiz

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® Sprint

SCRABBLE® fans, sharpen your skills!

Play the game