cochlea

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

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR cochlea 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.

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

Related Words for cochlear

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

Examples from the Web for cochlear

Contemporary Examples of cochlear

If you're born deaf, the debate about cochlear implants, children and deaf cultural rights will touch your life in some way.
This Is What It Is Like To Be Deaf From Birth
Quora Contributor
December 23, 2013

Historical Examples of cochlear

To destroy the cochlear nerve, the whole of the cochlea should be removed.
A System of Operative Surgery, Volume IV (of 4)
Various
These fibres of the trapezium come from the cochlear nucleus of the auditory nerve, and run up as the lateral fillet.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 4, Slice 4
Various

British Dictionary definitions for cochlear

cochlea

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

"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."

cochlear in Medicine

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.

cochlear in Science

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.