external ear

American  

noun

1. the outer portion of the ear, consisting of the auricle and the canal extending to the tympanic membrane.

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external ear British  

noun

1. the part of the ear consisting of the auricle and the auditory canal

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Example Sentences

Roughly 1,500 babies born in the United States each year have either microtia or a related condition, anotia, in which the entire external ear is missing.

From New York Times

Legless lizards also have tiny ear holes on either side of the head, while snakes lack external ears.

From Washington Post

It has recently been found that Neanderthals had “surfer’s ear”, a bony growth in the external ear canal that forms in response to repeated exposure to cold water or wind.

From The Guardian

And at the South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, a boy was initially diagnosed with an external ear infection, only to have seizures two weeks later.

From Washington Times

There are bone-conduction hearing aids, intended mainly for people whose principal hearing defects are in their middle ears or external ear canals; the most effective ones are physically anchored to the skull.

From The New Yorker