cochlea

[ kok-lee-uh, koh-klee-uh ]

/ ˈkɒk li ə, ˈkoʊ kli ə /

noun, plural coch·le·ae [kok-lee-ee, -lee-ahy, koh-klee-ee, ‐klee-ahy] /ˈkɒk liˌi, -liˌaɪ, ˈkoʊ kliˌi, ‐kliˌaɪ/, coch·le·as. Anatomy.

a spiral-shaped cavity forming a division of the internal ear in humans and in most other mammals.

Nearby words

cochin-china, cochineal, cochineal cactus, cochineal insect, cochise, cochlea, cochleae, cochlear aqueduct, cochlear canal, cochlear duct, cochlear hair cell

Origin of cochlea

1530–40; < Latin < Greek kochlíās snail (with spiral shell), screw, probably akin to kónchē conch

Related formscoch·le·ar, adjective

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

Examples from the Web for cochlea

To destroy the cochlear nerve, the whole of the cochlea should be removed.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various
Cochleatus is from cochlea, a snail, from resembling its shell.
The Mushroom, Edible and Otherwise|M. E. Hard
The lower part of the labyrinth is coiled like a snail shell, and is called the cochlea.
The New Gresham Encyclopedia|Various
It consists essentially of modified ephithelial cells floated upon the auditory epithelium, or basilar membrane, of the cochlea.
A Practical Physiology|Albert F. Blaisdell

My cochlea struck twelve noon and a HUD appeared with my weekly backup reminder.
Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom|Cory Doctorow

British Dictionary definitions for cochlea

cochlea

/ (ˈkɒklɪə) /

noun plural -leae (-lɪˌiː)

the spiral tube, shaped like a snail's shell, that forms part of the internal ear, converting sound vibrations into nerve impulses

Derived Formscochlear, adjective

Word Origin for cochlea

C16: from Latin: snail, spiral, from Greek kokhlias; probably related to Greek konkhē conch

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

Word Origin and History for cochlea

cochlea

"spiral cavity of the inner ear," 1680s, from Latin cochlea "snail shell," from Greek kokhlias "snail, screw," etc., from kokhlos "spiral shell," perhaps related to konkhos "mussel, conch."

Medicine definitions for cochlea

cochlea

[ kŏk′lē-ə, kō′klē-ə ]

n. pl. coch•le•as

A spiral-shaped cavity in the petrous portion of the temporal bone of the inner ear, containing the nerve endings essential for hearing and forming one of the divisions of the labyrinth.

Related formscoch′le•ar (-ər) adj.

Science definitions for cochlea

cochlea

[ kŏk′lē-ə ]

Plural cochleae (kŏk′lē-ē′, -lē-ī′) cochleas

A spiral-shaped cavity of the inner ear and the main organ of hearing. The cochlea contains the nerve endings that transmit sound vibrations from the middle ear to the auditory nerve.