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definitions

cochlear implant

noun

a device consisting of microelectrodes that deliver electrical stimuli directly to the auditory nerve when surgically implanted into the cochlea, enabling a person with sensorineural deafness to hear.

Nearby words

  1. cochleae,
  2. cochlear aqueduct,
  3. cochlear canal,
  4. cochlear duct,
  5. cochlear hair cell,
  6. cochlear joint,
  7. cochlear labyrinth,
  8. cochlear nerve,
  9. cochlear nucleus,
  10. cochleate
Also called artificial ear.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for artificial ear

cochlear implant

/ (ˈkɒklɪə) /

noun

a device that stimulates the acoustic nerve in the inner ear in order to produce some form of hearing in people who are deaf from inner ear disease
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

Science definitions for artificial ear

cochlear implant

[ kŏk′lē-ər ]

A surgically implanted electronic device that allows people with severe hearing loss to recognize some sounds. It consists chiefly of a microphone and receiver, a processor that converts speech into electronic signals, and an array of electrodes that transmit the signals to the auditory nerve in the inner ear.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.