Malleus
/ˈmæl.i.əs/noun
A Latin word meaning “hammer,” also used in anatomy for the small hammer-shaped bone in the middle ear.
Did you know?Latin malleus comes from the same ancient root as English hammer, and its hammer-shaped meaning survived into anatomy when scientists named the middle-ear bone the malleus.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*mel-
“to hit, grind, or strike”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hamaraz
“hammer”
Latin
Latin
malleus
“hammer; also the hammer-shaped bone”
Medieval Latin
Latin
malleus
“hammer; used in technical and scholarly contexts”
Modern English
English
malleus
“the hammer bone of the middle ear; a Latin loanword used in anatomy”