from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Malleus \Mal"le*us\, n.; pl. {Mallei}. [L., hammer. See {Mall} a
beetle.]
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}.
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2. (Zool.) One of the hard lateral pieces of the mastax of
Rotifera. See {Mastax}.
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3. (Zool.) A genus of bivalve shells; the hammer shell.
[1913 Webster]