inner ear
Americannoun
noun
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The innermost part of the ear in many vertebrate animals, consisting of the cochlea, the semicircular canals, and the vestibule. Sound vibrations are transmitted from the cochlea of the inner ear to the brain by the auditory nerve. The semicircular canals and the vestibule are the body's organs of balance.
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See more at ear
Etymology
Origin of inner ear
First recorded in 1920–25
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In most saltwater species, vibrations reach the inner ear only weakly, which limits hearing to low frequencies below about 200 Hertz.
From Science Daily
In the inner ear, mutations in CPD disrupted this process, triggering oxidative stress and the death of delicate sensory hair cells that detect sound vibrations.
From Science Daily
Sue was diagnosed with Meniere's disease in 2017, which is a rare inner ear condition which has left her partially deaf.
From Science Daily
The DNA was taken from a bone in the inner ear of remains of a man buried in Nuwayrat, a village 265km south of Cairo.
From BBC
Like many greyhounds raised in racing kennels, Crafty has numbers tattooed on his inner ears, and has struggled to socialise with other dogs and humans.
From BBC
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.