stapedius
Meanings
noun
- A small muscle of the middle ear that arises from the wall of the tympanum and is inserted into the neck of the stapes by a tendon that sometimes contains a slender spine of bone; it is the smallest skeletal muscle in the human body, serving to stabilize the stapes to check and dampen its vibration.
Pronunciation
Word forms
Etymology
Borrowed from New Latin stapedius, clipping of mūsculus stapedius (“stapedial muscle”). Doublet of stapedial.
Related words
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