tympanic membrane

ear·drum   (îr'drŭm')    n.  The thin, semitransparent, oval-shaped membrane that separates the middle ear from the external ear. Also called tympanic membrane, tympanum.

Main Entry: tympanic membrane
Function: noun
: a thin membrane separating the middle ear from the inner part of the external auditory canal that vibrates in response tosound energy and transmits the resulting mechanical vibrations to the structures of the middle ear called also eardrum, tympanum

tympanic membrane n.
See eardrum.

tympanic membrane

membrane in the human ear that receives sound vibrations from the outer air and transmits them to the auditory ossicles, which are tiny bones in the tympanic (middle ear) cavity. It also serves as the lateral wall of the tympanic cavity, separating it from the external auditory canal. The membrane lies across the end of the external canal and looks like a flattened cone with its tip (apex) pointed inward. The edges are attached to a ring of bone, the tympanic annulus.

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