auricle

[ awr-i-kuh l ]

/ ˈɔr ɪ kəl /

noun

Anatomy.

the projecting outer portion of the ear; pinna.
Also called auricular appendage. an ear-shaped appendage projecting from each atrium of the heart.
(loosely) the atrium.

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

Nearby words

aureolin, aureomycin, aureus, auri-, auric, auricle, auricle atrialis, auricula, auricula atrii, auricular, auricular appendage

Origin of auricle

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

Related forms

au·ri·cled, adjective

Can be confused

auricle oracle

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for auricle

The auricle is now pulled forward, and the gauze strip is removed from the mastoid cavity.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
They are arranged in two pairs, the auricle uppermost, separated by a fleshy partition.
How it Works|Archibald Williams
Auricle—applied to the ear-like parts of a projectile point.
Handbook of Alabama Archaeology: Part I Point Types|James W. Cambron
Length of the ear: from the highest upper edge of the auricle to the lower extremity of the lobule.
Pedagogical Anthropology|Maria Montessori

The circulating system consists of a ventricle and auricle, and the locomotive tube is protected in its whole length.
The Ocean World:|Louis Figuier

British Dictionary definitions for auricle

auricle

/ (ˈɔːrɪkəl) /

noun

the upper chamber of the heart; atrium
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

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

Medicine 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

Science definitions for auricle

auricle

[ ôr′ĭ-kəl ]

The visible part of the outer ear.

An atrium of the heart.