# malleus

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈmæl.i.əs/ · frequency rank #97,265

## Definitions
1. The small hammer-shaped bone of the middle ear.
2. The tripus (ossicle in cypriniform fishes).
3. One of the paired calcareous structures within the mastax of rotifers.

## Etymology
From Latin malleus (“hammer, mallet”). Doublet of maul.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/malleus