Malleus
Overview
The malleus or hammer is a hammer-shaped small bone or ossicle of the middle ear which connects with the incus and is attached to the inner surface of the eardrum. The word is Latin for hammer.
It transmits the sound vibrations from the eardrum to the incus.
The malleus is unique to mammals, and evolved from a lower jaw bone in basal amniotes called the articular, which still forms part of the jaw joint in reptiles.
Additional images
-
Head and neck of a human embryo eighteen weeks old, with Meckel’s cartilage and hyoid bar exposed.
-
External and middle ear, opened from the front. Right side.
-
Chain of ossicles and their ligaments, seen from the front in a vertical, transverse section of the tympanum.
See also
References
External links
The Anatomy WizMalleus
Template:Auditory system Template:HumanBones
ca:Martell (os) da:Hammer (knogle) de:Hammer (Anatomie) id:Tulang martil it:Martello (anatomia) la:Malleus (os) nl:Hamer (gehoorbeentje) fi:Vasaraluu
© 2026 MyEClinic – IFTM Institut für Telematik in der Medizin GmbH



