STAPES (stapedes)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

Irregular inflected form: stapedes   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does stapes mean? 

• STAPES (noun)
  The noun STAPES has 1 sense:

1. the stirrup-shaped ossicle that transmits sound from the incus to the cochlea

  Familiarity information: STAPES used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• STAPES (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

The stirrup-shaped ossicle that transmits sound from the incus to the cochlea

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Synonyms:

stapes; stirrup

Hypernyms ("stapes" is a kind of...):

auditory ossicle (ossicles of the middle ear that transmit acoustic vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear)

Holonyms ("stapes" is a part of...):

middle ear; tympanic cavity; tympanum (the main cavity of the ear; between the eardrum and the inner ear)

 Context examples 

This anvil-shaped bone is positioned between the malleus and the stapes.

(Incus, NCI Thesaurus)

The middle ear is made up of an air-filled cavity behind the tympanic membrane that contains the ossicles (malleus, incus and stapes).

(Ear, NCI Thesaurus)