tympanic membrane

A thin membrane that separates the external ear from the middle ear, consisting of two epithelia (one part of the the external accoustic meatus epithelium, the other part of the tympanic cavity epithelium) with a fibrous layer between them. Its function is to transmit sound from the air to the ossicles inside the middle ear. The malleus bone bridges the gap between the eardrum and the other ossicles. Rupture or perforation of the eardrum can lead to conductive hearing loss. [WP,unvetted].