ossicle

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search

English[edit]

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Etymology[edit]

Late 16th century, from Latin ossiculum (“little bone, ossicle”) from os (“bone”).

Pronunciation[edit]

  • IPA(key): /ˈɒsɪkəl/
  • Audio (Southern England)(file)

Noun[edit]

ossicle (plural ossicles)

  1. (anatomy) A small bone (or bony structure), especially one of the three of the middle ear.
    The incus is one of the three auditory ossicles.
    Synonyms: auditory bone, auditory ossicle, bonelet, ossicular chain, ossicule, ossiculum, otic bone
    Hyponyms: incus, malleus, stapes, hammer, anvil, stirrup
    Hypernyms: bone, os
  2. (zoology) Bone-like joint or plate, especially:
    1. one of numerous small calcareous structures forming the skeleton of certain echinoderms, as the starfishes;
    2. one of the hard articuli or joints of the stem or branches of a crinoid or encrinite;
    3. one of the several small hard chitinous parts or processes of the gastric skeleton of crustaceans, as in the stomach of a lobster or crawfish.
    The skeleton of echinoderms is made of ossicles, linked to each other via muscles and connective tissue.
    • 1836, William Buckland, Geology and Mineralogy, Considered with Reference to Natural Theology, volume 1, William Pickering, page 174:
      The eyeballs were surrounded by a ring of bones, the sclerotic ossicle, which probably protected their eyes when diving abruptly for prey.

Derived terms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

See os.

Translations[edit]

See also[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ossicle m (plural ossicles)

  1. ossicle (small bone)
Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=ossicle&oldid=77438899"