auricular
Americanadjective
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of or relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing; aural.
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perceived by or addressed to the ear; made in private.
an auricular confession.
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dependent on hearing; understood or known by hearing.
auricular evidence.
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shaped like an ear; auriculate.
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Anatomy. pertaining to an auricle of the heart.
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Ornithology. pertaining to certain often modified feathers that cover and protect the opening of a bird's ear.
noun
adjective
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of, relating to, or received by the sense or organs of hearing; aural
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shaped like an ear
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of or relating to an auricle of the heart
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(of feathers) occurring in tufts surrounding the ears of owls and similar birds
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of auricular
First recorded in 1535–45, auricular is from the Late Latin word auriculāris of, pertaining to the ear. See auricle, -ar 1
Explanation
Something that's auricular has to do with ears or hearing. An auricular message might be one you whisper into your friend's ear. You can use auricular to describe things that are shaped like an ear, like an auricular shell on the beach or an auricular flower in a garden. Other things are auricular because they're heard or are otherwise related to ears. The auricular muscles, for example, are the ones around your ears. Things having to do with the (ear-shaped) auricles, or atriums, of the heart can also be described as auricular. The Latin root is auricula, or "ear."
Vocabulary lists containing auricular
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
His National Auricular Foundation, set up in 1938 next door to Los Angeles County's Juvenile Hall, has tested the hearing of 40,000 youngsters.
From Time Magazine Archive
Of your figures Auricular that worke by Surplusage.
From The Arte of English Poesie by Puttenham, George
Of Auricular figures pertaining to clauses of speech and by them working no little alteration to the eare.
From The Arte of English Poesie by Puttenham, George
Auricular flutter can be suspected when the pulse is regular or not particularly irregular and a fluttering, rapid pulsation is seen in the jugular vein on the right side.
From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Warfield, Louis Marshall
Before the Reformation Auricular Confession was compulsorily made to a priest, and Absolution was sought.
From The Church Handy Dictionary by Anonymous
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
