the organ of hearing and balance in higher vertebrates and of balance only in fishes. In man and other mammals it consists of three partsSee external ear, middle ear, internal ear Related adjectives: aural, otic
the outermost cartilaginous part of the ear (pinna) in mammals, esp man
the sense of hearing
sensitivity to musical sounds, poetic diction, etche has an ear for music
attention, esp favourable attention; consideration; heed (esp in the phrases give ear to, lend an ear)
an object resembling the external ear in shape or position, such as a handle on a jug
Also called (esp Brit): earpiecea display box at the head of a newspaper page, esp the front page, for advertisements, etc
all earsvery attentive; listening carefully
by earwithout reading from written music
chew someone's earslangto reprimand severely
fall on deaf earsto be ignored or pass unnoticed
have hard earsCaribbeanto be stubbornly disobedient
a flea in one's earinformala sharp rebuke
have the ear ofto be in a position to influencehe has the ear of the president
in one ear and out the otherheard but unheeded
keep one's ear to the groundorhave one's ear to the groundto be or try to be well informed about current trends and opinions
make a pig's ear ofinformalto ruin disastrously
one's ears are burningone is aware of being the topic of another's conversation
out on one's earinformaldismissed unceremoniously
play by ear
to act according to the demands of a situation rather than to a plan; improvise
to perform a musical piece on an instrument without written music
prick up one's earsto start to listen attentively; become interested
set by the earsto cause disagreement or commotion
a thick earinformala blow on the ear delivered as punishment, in anger, etc
turn a deaf earto be deliberately unresponsive
up to one's earsinformaldeeply involved, as in work or debt
wet behind the earsinformalinexperienced; naive; immature
Derived Formsearless, adjectiveearlike, adjective
Word Origin for ear
Old English ēare; related to Old Norse eyra, Old High German ōra, Gothic ausō, Greek ous, Latin auris
ear
2
noun
the part of a cereal plant, such as wheat or barley, that contains the seeds, grains, or kernels
verb
(intr)(of cereal plants) to develop such parts
Word Origin for ear
Old English ēar; related to Old High German ahar, Old Norse ax, Gothic ahs ear, Latin acus chaff, Greek akros pointed
"organ of hearing," Old English eare "ear," from Proto-Germanic *auzon (cf. Old Norse eyra, Danish øre, Old Frisian are, Old Saxon ore, Middle Dutch ore, Dutch oor, Old High German ora, German Ohr, Gothic auso), from PIE *ous- with a sense of "perception" (cf. Greek aus, Latin auris, Lithuanian ausis, Old Church Slavonic ucho, Old Irish au "ear," Avestan usi "the two ears").
The belief that itching or burning ears means someone is talking about you is mentioned in Pliny's "Natural History" (77 C.E.). Until at least the 1880s, even some medical men still believed piercing the ear lobes improved one's eyesight. Meaning "handle of a pitcher" is mid-15c. (but cf. Old English earde "having a handle"). To be wet behind the ears "naive" is implied from 1914. Phrase walls have ears attested from 1610s. Ear-bash (v.) is Australian slang (1944) for "to talk inordinately" (to someone).
ear
n.2
"grain part of corn," from Old English ear (West Saxon), æher (Northumbrian) "spike, ear of grain," from Proto-Germanic *akhaz (genitive *akhizaz; cf. Dutch aar, Old High German ehir, German Ähre, Old Norse ax, Gothic ahs "ear of corn"), from PIE root *ak- "sharp, pointed" (cf. Latin acus "husk of corn," Greek akoste "barley;" see acrid).
The organ of hearing, responsible for maintaining equilibrium as well as sensing sound and divided into the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.
The part of this organ that is externally visible.
The vertebrate organ of hearing, which in mammals is usually composed of three parts: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The organs of balance are also located in the ear.
An invertebrate organ analogous to the vertebrate ear.
ear
2
[îr]
The seed-bearing spike of a cereal plant, such as corn or wheat.
The organ of hearing, which also plays a role in maintaining balance. It is divided into the outer ear (from the outside to the eardrum), the middle ear, and the inner ear.
