Muscle Names · Muscular System · Medium
Stapedius
Meaning: The smallest skeletal muscle in the body, in the middle ear, which dampens loud sounds.
In practice: Facial nerve palsy can paralyse stapedius, making ordinary sounds seem uncomfortably loud.
Quick check
Two questions on related muscle names words.
Which word means: Thin muscles on the inner back wall of the chest that span two or three ribs.
Answer: Subcostales
Which word means: A fan-shaped muscle at the temple that closes the jaw.
Answer: Temporalis
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