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inner ear

American  

noun

  1. internal ear.


inner ear British  

noun

  1. another name for internal ear labyrinth

"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

inner ear Scientific  
/ ĭnər /
  1. 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.

  2. See more at ear


inner ear Cultural  
  1. The part of the ear, located deep within the skull, where sound vibrations are converted to electrical signals and sent to the brain via the auditory nerve to produce the sensation of hearing. Organs related to balance are also located in the inner 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