ossicle
Middle ear bone
An ossicle is a small bone, especially one of the three tiny bones in the middle ear—the malleus, incus, and stapes—that transmit vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear.
The term also applies to small skeletal elements in other contexts, such as the calcareous plates in a starfish's body wall.
Hammer-shaped hearing bone
- incusMiddle ear ossicle
- stapesInner ear ossicle
- middle earSound-conducting body chamber
- eardrumInner auditory membrane
oval window · round window · tensor tympani · manubrium · footplate
Rapid oscillating movement
- amplificationIncrease in intensity
- lever actionGun mechanism using pivoting handle
- mechanical advantageForce output over input
- frequency responseOutput versus input frequencies
resonance · auditory signal · pressure wave · cochlea · hearing · decibels · sound energy · transduction
Spiny-skinned marine invertebrate
- sea urchinSpiny marine echinoderm
- starfishFive-armed marine invertebrate
- sea cucumberElongated marine echinoderm
- brittle starLong-armed relative of urchins
test · endoskeleton · calcareous · tubercle · Aristotle's lantern · plate · marine biology
Mineral hardening of tissue
- mineralizationConversion to mineral form
- cartilageFlexible connective body tissue
- osteocyteBone-maintaining cell in matrix
- osteoblastBone-forming cell
collagen · periosteum · articulation · ligament · sesamoid
Progress toward maturity
- branchial archEmbryonic throat structure
- fetal developmentUnborn offspring's growth process
- congenitalExisting from birth
- morphogenesisDevelopmental shape emergence
malleus
Hammer-shaped hearing bone
- incusMiddle ear ossicle
- stapesInner ear ossicle
- middle earSound-conducting body chamber
eardrum · oval window · round window · tensor tympani · manubrium · footplate
vibration
Rapid oscillating movement
- amplificationIncrease in intensity
- lever actionGun mechanism using pivoting handle
- mechanical advantageForce output over input
frequency response · resonance · auditory signal · pressure wave · cochlea · hearing · decibels · sound energy · transduction
echinoderm
Spiny-skinned marine invertebrate
- sea urchinSpiny marine echinoderm
- starfishFive-armed marine invertebrate
- sea cucumberElongated marine echinoderm
brittle star · test · endoskeleton · calcareous · tubercle · Aristotle's lantern · plate · marine biology
calcification
Mineral hardening of tissue
- mineralizationConversion to mineral form
- cartilageFlexible connective body tissue
- osteocyteBone-maintaining cell in matrix
osteoblast · collagen · periosteum · articulation · ligament · sesamoid
development
Progress toward maturity
- branchial archEmbryonic throat structure
- fetal developmentUnborn offspring's growth process
- congenitalExisting from birth