inner ear

American  

noun

1. internal ear.

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inner ear British  

noun

1. another name for internal ear labyrinth

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inner ear Scientific  

/ ĭn′ər /

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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of inner ear

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

In most saltwater species, vibrations reach the inner ear only weakly, which limits hearing to low frequencies below about 200 Hertz.

From Science Daily • Nov. 3, 2025

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 • Jul. 2, 2025

Over 18 months, experts there extracted and sequenced ancient DNA from two dire wolf fossils — a 13,000-year-old tooth from Sheridan Pit, Ohio, and a 72,000-year-old inner ear bone from American Falls, Idaho.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2025

Motion sickness is caused by a discrepancy between what the inner ear detects and what the eye sees.

From Salon • May 29, 2024

Dad says goldfish sense sound vibrations through their inner ear and the lines of sensory organs down their sides.

From "Muffled" by Jennifer Gennari