cochlea
[ kok-lee-uh, koh-klee-uh ]
/ ˈkɒk li ə, ˈkoʊ kli ə /
Save This Word!
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.
QUIZ
GOOSES. GEESES. I WANT THIS QUIZ ON PLURAL NOUNS!
Test how much you really know about regular and irregular plural nouns with this quiz.
Question 1 of 9
Which of the following nouns has an irregular plural form?
Origin of cochlea
OTHER WORDS FROM cochlea
coch·le·ar, adjectiveDictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022
How to use cochlea in a sentence
If you're born deaf, the debate about cochlear implants, children and deaf cultural rights will touch your life in some way.
To destroy the cochlear nerve, the whole of the cochlea should be removed.
These fibres of the trapezium come from the cochlear nucleus of the auditory nerve, and run up as the lateral fillet.
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, adjectiveWord 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.The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.