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Glite Dictionary
tympanic bone

tympanic bone

8.2
A small bone near the middle ear that helps protect it
  • noun
  • /tɪmˈpænɪk boʊn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hueso timpánico
  • All mammals, including whales, have a middle ear that is partially walled in by the tympanic bone.

Examples

  • The tympanic bone is a cup-shaped ear bone that houses the middle ear cavity (m.e.) and has two features that can be used to diagnose a cetacean; these features are present in all cetaceans and in no other vertebrate.

    Academic text (2001)

  • Note the narrow palate (pal.), large tympanic bone (tym.), and long crocodile-like lower jaw.

    Academic text (2001)

  • (b) The skull of Protocetus (an oblique view) shows supraorbital shield (sup.), palate (pal.), and tympanic bone (tym).

    Academic text (2001)

  • All mammals, including whales, have a middle ear that is partially walled in by the tympanic bone.

  • The tympanic bone is essential for hearing as it contributes to the structure of the middle ear in many mammals.

  • In some species, the size of the tympanic bone varies, impacting their ability to detect sound frequencies.

Surface Forms

tympanic bone singular
tympanic bones plural

Morphology

tympanic + bone

The meaning 'the bone forming part of the enclosure of the middle ear' is directly derivable from combining 'tympanic' (relating to the eardrum) with 'bone' (a skeletal element). This modifier + head compound follows ordinary compositional patterns, so a learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The tympanic bone gets its name from the part tympanic, which comes from a word for a 'drum', because the bone sits like a small case around the eardrum and helps protect it. So the name reminds you it is the bone around the middle ear.