aural

¹ American  

[awr-uhl] / ˈɔr əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing.

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aural ² American  

[awr-uhl] / ˈɔr əl /

adjective

1. of or relating to an aura.

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aural ¹ British  

/ ˈɔːrəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to the sense or organs of hearing; auricular

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aural ² British  

/ ˈɔːrəl /

adjective

1. of or relating to an aura

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• aurally
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of aural¹

First recorded in 1840–50; from Latin aur(is) “the ear” + -al ¹

Origin of aural²

First recorded in 1865–70; aur(a) + -al ¹

Explanation

If you have excellent aural abilities, it means that your ears work well. Aural means "pertaining to hearing." Some people learn well using their aural skills, which means they can hear something and remember it easily later. The root of the word aural is the Latin word meaning "pertaining to the ear," auris. It's easy to get aural confused with another word that sounds similar, oral, which means "pertaining to the mouth."

Related Words

• audiovisual
• auditory
• neural
• neurological
• olfactory
• sensual
• sonic
• tactile
• visual