Anat. [mod.L., elliptical use of stapedius adj. (sc. musculus), f. staped- STAPES.] (More fully stapedius muscle.) The small muscle attached to the neck of the stapes.
1788. Encycl. Brit. (ed. 3), I. 764. Little muscle, the stapedeus [sic].
1808. Med. Jrnl., XIX. 398. The muscle usually called Stapideus [sic].
1844. Hoblyn, Dict. Terms Med. (ed. 2), Stapedius.
1847. Todd & Bowman, Phys. Anat., II. 106. The facial nerve gives off the following branches…. 2. A twig to the stapedius muscle.
1899. Allbutt’s Syst. Med., VIII. 41. Spasm of the stapedius.
