Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

malleus

/ˈmæl.i.əs/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: 1.98 in modern English

Syllables: malleus
IPA: /ˈmæl.i.əs/

9

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

The small hammer-shaped bone of the middle ear.

noun

The tripus (ossicle in cypriniform fishes).

noun

One of the paired calcareous structures within the mastax of rotifers.

Example Sentences

"A fracture of the malleus handle is a rare traumatic middle ear lesion."
"The tympanic cavity is spanned by the three smallest bones in the body: the auditory ossicles[…] These bones, named for their shape, are the malleus (malʹe-us; "hammer"); the incus (ingʹkus; "anvil"); and the stapes (staʹpēz; "stirrup"). The "handle" of the malleus is secured to the eardrum, and the base of the stapes fits into the oval window."
"[…] in the typical mastax of a Brachionus there are two hammer-like bodies (mallei), which work on a kind of split anvil (incus); […] each malleus consists of an upper part or head (uncus) and a lower or handle (manubrium);"

Etymology

From Latin malleus (“hammer, mallet”). Doublet of maul.

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: *melh₂-, malleus

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈmæl.i.əs/
British English: /ˈmæl.i.əs/

Inflected Forms

mallei (plural)

Derived Forms

malleable malleal mallear malleiform

Synonyms

hammer malleus Weberi tripus

Questions

How do you pronounce malleus?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈmæl.i.əs/.
What does malleus mean?: The small hammer-shaped bone of the middle ear.
Where does malleus come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce malleus

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “malleus”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈmæl.i.əs/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
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