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cochlea

[ kok-lee-uh, koh-klee-uh ]
/ ˈkɒk li ə, ˈkoʊ kli ə /
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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.

RELATED WORDS

coiled, circling, rolled, wound, radial, circular, corkscrew, helical, helicoid, tortile, whorled

Nearby words

  1. cochin-china,
  2. cochineal,
  3. cochineal cactus,
  4. cochineal insect,
  5. cochise,
  6. cochleae,
  7. cochlear aqueduct,
  8. cochlear canal,
  9. cochlear duct,
  10. 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 cochlear

British Dictionary definitions for cochlear

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 cochlear

cochlea

n.

"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."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

Medicine definitions for cochlear

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.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.

Science definitions for cochlear

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.