OSSICLE
ossicle, bonelet, ossiculum
(noun) a small bone; especially one in the middle ear
Source: WordNet® 3.1
Etymology
Noun
ossicle (plural ossicles)
(anatomy) A small bone (or bony structure), especially one of the three of the middle ear.
(zoology) Bone-like joint or plate, especially
one of numerous small calcareous structures forming the skeleton of certain echinoderms, as the starfishes;
one of the hard articuli or joints of the stem or branches of a crinoid or encrinite;
one of the several small hard chitinous parts or processes of the gastric skeleton of crustaceans, as in the stomach of a lobster or crawfish.
The skeleton of echinoderms is made of ossicles, linked to each other via muscles and connective tissue.
Synonyms
• auditory bone
• auditory ossicle
• bonelet
• ossicular chain
• ossicule
• ossiculum
• otic bone
Anagrams
• loessic, scolies
Source: Wiktionary
Os"si*cle, n. Etym: [L. ossiculum, dim. of os, ossis, a bone.]
1. A little bone; as, the auditory ossicles in the tympanum of the
ear.
2. (Zoöl.)
Definition: One of numerous small calcareous structures forming the
skeleton of certain echinoderms, as the starfishes.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition