cochlea

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

/ ˈkɒk li ə, ˈkoʊ kli ə /

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See synonyms for: cochlear on Thesaurus.com

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.

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Origin of cochlea

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

OTHER WORDS FROM cochlea

coch·le·ar, adjective

Words nearby cochlea

Cochin-China, cochineal, cochineal cactus, cochineal insect, Cochise, cochlea, cochlear aqueduct, cochlear canal, cochlear duct, cochlear hair cell, cochlear implant

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use cochlea in a sentence

Changes in pressure reach your cochlea and skin and become the voices and hugs of loved ones.
This is how your brain makes your mind|Lisa Feldman Barrett|August 25, 2021|MIT Technology Review
The latter is filled with a liquid which conveys the vibrations to a part having a coiled shell-like structure called the Cochlea.
Physics|Willis Eugene Tower
A dull bookworm like me,—cochlea vitam agens, Mr. Squills,—leading the life of a snail!
The Caxtons, Complete|Edward Bulwer-Lytton
To destroy the cochlear nerve, the whole of the cochlea should be removed.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)|Various

At the most, they knew the use of the spoon or cochlea, which they employed in eating eggs.
The Wonders of Pompeii|Marc Monnier
That part of the ear which receives sound waves is known as the cochlea, or snail shell, because of its shape.
A Civic Biology|George William Hunter

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 forms of cochlea

cochlear, 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

Medical 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.

Other words from cochlea

coch′le•ar (-ər) adj.

Scientific 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.