auditory nerve

American  

noun

Anatomy.

1. either one of the eighth pair of cranial nerves, consisting of sensory fibers that conduct impulses from the organs of hearing and from the semicircular canals to the brain.

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auditory nerve Scientific  

1. Either of the eighth pair of cranial nerves that carries sensory impulses from the ear to the brain. The auditory nerve transmits information related to sound and balance.

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auditory nerve Cultural  

1. The nerve that connects the inner ear with the brain. One of its two branches carries the sensation of sound to the brain; the other is involved in maintaining balance.

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Etymology

Origin of auditory nerve

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

"They saw its role more in receiving signals from the auditory nerve and transmitting them to high-level regions of the brain."

From Science Daily • Feb. 23, 2024

The electrodes stimulate the auditory nerve directly, bypassing the damaged hair cells.

From Salon • Dec. 10, 2022

A speech processor selects sounds in the range of human speech, and a transmitter converts these sounds to electrical impulses, which are then sent to the auditory nerve.

From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022

Rather than amplifying sound, as hearing aids do, cochlear implants send electrical signals directly to the auditory nerve, via an implant in the inner ear combined with an external sensor.

From Los Angeles Times • May 10, 2022

And sound, though it is said to be heard at a distance, is, in fact, heard only when the vibrations of the air, which convey it to our ears, strike upon the auditory nerve.

From Conversations on Natural Philosophy, in which the Elements of that Science are Familiarly Explained by Jones, Thomas P.