Ossicles

This article is one of a series documenting the anatomy of the
Human ear
Outer ear Auricle Ear canal
Middle ear Tympanic membrane Ossicles Malleus Incus Stapes
Inner ear Vestibules Utricle Saccule Cochlea Semicircular canals
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The ossicles (also called auditory ossicles) are three irregular bones in the middle ear of humans and other mammals, and are among the smallest bones in the human body. Although the term "ossicle" literally means "tiny bone" (from Latin ossiculum) and may refer to any small bone throughout the body, it typically refers specifically to the malleus, incus and stapes ("hammer, anvil, and stirrup") of the middle ear.

The auditory ossicles serve as a kinematic chain to transmit and amplify (intensify) sound vibrations collected from the air by the ear drum to the fluid-filled labyrinth (cochlea). The absence or pathology of the auditory ossicles would constitute a moderate-to-severe conductive hearing loss.