Mal·le·us n.; pl. Mallei
1. Anat. The outermost of the three small auditory bones, ossicles; the hammer. It is attached to the tympanic membrane by a long process, the handle or manubrium. See Illust. of Far.
2. Zool. One of the hard lateral pieces of the mastax of Rotifera. See Mastax.
3. Zool. A genus of bivalve shells; the hammer shell.
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malleus
n : the ossicle attached to the eardrum [syn: hammer]
[also: mallei (pl)]