Ossicle
/ˈɒs.ɪ.kəl/noun
A small bone, especially one of the tiny bones in the middle ear.
Did you know?The word comes from Latin *ossiculum*, a diminutive of *os* “bone,” and it’s part of the same old root family that gave English words like **ossify** and **osseous**.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*h₁ost- / *ost-
“bone”
Latin
Latin
os
“bone”
Latin
Latin
ossiculum
“little bone; small bone”
Middle French
Old French
ossicle
“small bone”
16th Century
English
ossicle
“a small bone, especially in anatomy”
Modern English
English
ossicle
“a small bone, especially one in the middle ear”
Explore more surprising origins