ossicle

English

Wikipedia

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ɒsɪkəl/

Noun

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.

   • 1836, William Buckland, Geology and Mineralogy, Considered with Reference to Natural Theology, vol. 1, William Pickering, p. 174:

     The eyeballs were surrounded by a ring of bones, the sclerotic ossicle, which probably protected their eyes when diving abruptly for prey.

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.
   4. The skeleton of echinoderms is made of ossicles, linked to each other via muscles and connective tissue.

Synonyms

• auditory bone
• auditory ossicle
• bonelet
• ossicular chain

• ossicule
• ossiculum
• otic bone

Derived terms

ambulacral ossicle Andernach's ossicles cardiac ossicle carpal ossicle epactal ossicles episternal ossicles intercalcar ossicles

Kerckring's (Kerkring's) ossicle marginal ossicles ossicle of Bertin ossicular ossiculate ossiculectomy ossiculotomy

Riolan's ossicles sphenoturbinal ossicle tarsal ossicle vertebral ossicle Weberian ossicles wormian ossicles

Related terms

See os.

Translations

small bone in the ear; auditory ossicle

• Catalan: ossicle (ca) m
• Czech: kůstka (cs) f, sluchová kůstka (cs) f
• Finnish: kuuloluu (fi)

• German: Gehörknöchelchen (de) n
• Polish: kosteczka (pl) f, kostka (pl) f
• Portuguese: ossículo (pt) m

bone-like plate

• Polish: płytka (wapienna) f

See also

• bone
• incus
• malleus
• stapes

Anagrams

• scolies

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Catalan

Noun

ossicle m (plural ossicles)

1. ossicle (small bone)