Ossicle Definition

ŏsĭ-kəl
ossicles
noun
ossicles
A small bone or bonelike structure; esp., any of the three small bones in the tympanic cavity of the ear.
Webster's New World

(zoology) Bone-like joint or plate, especially:

Wiktionary
Synonyms:

Other Word Forms of Ossicle

Noun

Singular:
ossicle
Plural:
ossicles

Origin of Ossicle

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

    From Wiktionary

  • Latin ossiculum diminutive of os bone ost- in Indo-European roots

    From American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

Ossicle Sentence Examples

  • To allow the transmission of high frequency sounds, the stapes is used as an auditory ossicle.

  • If an x-ray shows an independent ossicle behind the main body of the tendon then surgical removal may be helpful after skeletal maturation.

  • In Colymbus the patella is reduced to a small ossicle, its function being taken by the greatly developed pyramidal processus tibialis anterior; in Podiceps and Hesperornis the patella itself is large and pyramidal.

Find Similar Words

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Words Starting With

OOSOSS

Words Ending With

ELECLE

Unscrambles

ossicle

Words Starting With O and Ending With E

Starts With O & Ends With EStarts With OS & Ends With EStarts With O & Ends With LE

Word Length

7 Letter Words7 Letter Words Starting With O7 Letter Words Ending With E