Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Malleus
Introduction
Overview
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
Additional images
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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.
