auricle

American  

[awr-i-kuhl] / ˈɔr ɪ kəl /

noun

1. Anatomy.

   1. the projecting outer portion of the ear; pinna.

   2. Also called auricular appendage.  an ear-shaped appendage projecting from each atrium of the heart.

   3. (loosely) the atrium.

2. Botany, Zoology. a part like or likened to an ear.

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auricle British  

/ ˈɔːrɪkəl /

noun

1. 1. the upper chamber of the heart; atrium

   2. a small sac in the atrium of the heart

2. Also called: pinna.  anatomy the external part of the ear

3. Also called: auricula.  biology an ear-shaped part or appendage, such as that occurring at the join of the leaf blade and the leaf sheath in some grasses

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auricle Scientific  

/ ôr′ĭ-kəl /

1. The visible part of the outer ear.

2. An atrium of the heart.

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Other Word Forms

• auricled
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of auricle

First recorded in 1645–55, auricle is from the Latin word auricula the (external) ear, ear lobe. See auri- ², -cle ¹

Explanation

An auricle is a part of the human body — it means both the visible part of an ear and an upper cavity of the heart. You'll most likely come across the word auricle in an anatomy textbook, since it's a scientific term for a body part. It's more common to call an ear pinna, or the external part of the ear, an auricle, although it's occasionally also used to refer to an atrium of the heart. The word comes from the Latin auricula, "ear," with the heart meaning stemming from the ear-like shape of the heart's upper chambers.

Example Sentences

Auricle, a small earlike lobe at the base of a leaf.

From The Wild Flowers of California: Their Names, Haunts, and Habits by Parsons, Mary Elizabeth

Auricle -cula: an appendage resembling a little ear; in Odonata the tumescent area at the sides of the second abdominal segment: in Andrenidae, a short membranous process placed laterally on the ligula.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.