# petrous

> English word · Adjective

## Definitions
1. Resembling rock or stone in its hardness.
2. Of the dense portion of the temporal bone that protects the inner ear.

## Etymology
From Middle English, borrowed from Middle French petreux, from Latin petrōsus, from petra, from Ancient Greek πέτρα (pétra).

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