middle ear

middle ear   n.  The space between the eardrum and the inner ear that contains the three auditory ossicles, which convey vibrations through the oval window to the cochlea. Also called tympanum.

Main Entry: middle ear
Function: noun
: the intermediate portion of the ear of higher vertebrates consisting typically of a small air-filled membrane-lined chamber in thetemporal bone continuous with the nasopharynx through the eustachian tube, separated from the external ear by the tympanic membrane and from the inner ear by fenestrae, and containing a chain of threeossicles that extends from the tympanic membrane to the oval window and transmits vibrations to the inner ear called also tympanic cavity; —see INCUS, MALLEUS, STAPES

middle ear n.
The space located between the eardrum and the inner ear that contains the three auditory ossicles, which convey vibrations through the oval window to the cochlea. Also called tympanic cavity, tympanum.

middle ear   (mĭd'l)  Pronunciation Key  The part of the ear in most mammals that contains the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and the three ossicles (malleus, incus, and stapes) which transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum to the inner ear. See more at ear1.