Malleus

This article is about the ossicle. For other uses, see Malleus (disambiguation).

Bone: Malleus
Left malleus. A. From behind. B. From within.
The right membrana tympani with the hammer and the chorda tympani, viewed from within, from behind, and from above. (Malleus visible at center.)
Malleus Tensor Tympani Incus Stapedius Labyrinth Stapes Auditory Canal Tympanic Membrane (Ear Drum) Eustachian Tube Tympanic cavity
Bones and muscles in the tympanic cavity in the middle ear
Latin	Malleus
Gray's	subject #231 1044
Precursor	1st branchial arch
MeSH	Malleus

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 and birds. Embryologically it is derived from the first pharyngeal arch along with the rest of the bones of mastication, such as the maxilla and mandible.

Additional images

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  Ossicles

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  Head and neck of a human embryo eighteen weeks old, with Meckel's cartilage and hyoid bone exposed.

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  External and middle ear, opened from the front. Right side.

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  Chain of ossicles and their ligaments, seen from the front in a vertical, transverse section of the tympanum.

See also

• Bone terminology
• Evolution of mammalian auditory ossicles
• Terms for anatomical location
• Neck of malleus
• Superior ligament of malleus
• Lateral ligament of malleus
• Anterior ligament of malleus

External links

• The Anatomy Wiz Malleus