cochlea

[ kok-lee-uh, koh-klee-uh ]

noun

, Anatomy.

, plural coch·le·ae [kok, -lee-ee, -lee-ahy, koh, -klee-ee, ‑klee-ahy], coch·le·as.

1. a spiral-shaped cavity forming a division of the internal ear in humans and in most other mammals.

cochlea

/ ˈkɒklɪə /

noun

1. the spiral tube, shaped like a snail's shell, that forms part of the internal ear, converting sound vibrations into nerve impulses

cochlea

/ kŏk′lē-ə /

, Plural cochleae kŏk′lē-ē′,-lē-ī′

1. A spiral-shaped cavity of the inner ear and the main organ of hearing. The cochlea contains the nerve endings that transmit sound vibrations from the middle ear to the auditory nerve.

Derived Forms

• ˈcochlear, adjective

Other Words From

• cochle·ar adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cochlea¹

1530–40; < Latin < Greek kochlíās snail (with spiral shell), screw, probably akin to kónchē conch

Word History and Origins

Origin of cochlea¹

C16: from Latin: snail, spiral, from Greek kokhlias; probably related to Greek konkhē conch

Example Sentences

These bats have inner ears with extra space inside the cochlea and more neurons, which may help them hunt within a broad range of environments.

From Popular-Science

Since the Jurassic Period, mammals have had a distinctive arrangement of inner ear structures within the snail shell-shaped cochlea.

From Popular-Science

Hearing loss happens when the fragile hair cells inside the cochlea die.

From Science News For Students

Changes in pressure reach your cochlea and skin and become the voices and hugs of loved ones.

From MIT Technology Review

The latter is filled with a liquid which conveys the vibrations to a part having a coiled shell-like structure called the Cochlea.

From Project Gutenberg

A dull bookworm like me,—cochlea vitam agens, Mr. Squills,—leading the life of a snail!

From Project Gutenberg

To destroy the cochlear nerve, the whole of the cochlea should be removed.

From Project Gutenberg

At the most, they knew the use of the spoon or cochlea, which they employed in eating eggs.

From Project Gutenberg

That part of the ear which receives sound waves is known as the cochlea, or snail shell, because of its shape.

From Project Gutenberg