Ossicles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Tiny bones located in the middle ear of vertebrates that aid in the transmission of sound
2. A trio of small bones known as the malleus, incus, and stapes that play a crucial role in hearing
3. Small auditory bones that act as levers, amplifying sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear

Etymology: "Ossicles" is the plural of "ossicle," a noun that entered English in the late 16th century, borrowed from the Latin "ossiculum," meaning "little bone." The Latin word is a diminutive of "os," "bone," so the name simply means "small bone," a label that fits the three tiny bones of the middle ear exactly. The English word kept the Latin diminutive ending, which is why it sounds like a shrunken version of "bone." Its ancestor "os" appears across a wide family of words, from "osseous," meaning bony, to "ossify," meaning to turn into bone.