auricle

[ awr-i-kuh l ]
/ ˈɔr ɪ kəl /

noun

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

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Origin of auricle

First recorded in 1645–55, auricle is from the Latin word auricula the (external) ear, ear lobe. See auri-2, -cle1

OTHER WORDS FROM auricle

au·ri·cled, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH auricle

auricle oracle

Words nearby auricle

aureolin, aureomycin, aureus, auri-, auric, auricle, auricle atrialis, auricula, auricula atrii, auricular, auricular appendage
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for auricle

British Dictionary definitions for auricle

auricle
/ (ˈɔːrɪkəl) /

noun

  1. the upper chamber of the heart; atrium
  2. a small sac in the atrium of the heart
Also called: pinna anatomy the external part of the ear
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

Derived forms of auricle

auricled, adjective

Word Origin for auricle

C17: from Latin auricula the external ear, from auris ear
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for auricle

auricle
[ ôr′ĭ-kəl ]

n.

Atrial auricle.
The projecting shell-like structure on the side of the head constituting, with the external acoustic meatus, the external ear.pinna
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Scientific definitions for auricle

auricle
[ ôr′ĭ-kəl ]

The visible part of the outer ear.
An atrium of the heart.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.