internal ear

American  

noun

1. the inner portion of the ear, involved in hearing and balance, consisting of a bony labyrinth that is composed of a vestibule, semicircular canals, and a cochlea and that encloses a membranous labyrinth.

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internal ear British  

noun

1. Also called: inner ear.   labyrinth.  the part of the ear that consists of the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals

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Example Sentences

This design feature is inspired by the multiple synaptic connections between hair cells in the internal ear and neurons, providing a backup should one pathway fail.

From Science Daily

The reader has an internal ear: so must the writer.

From The Guardian

The internal ear anatomy of Aplodontia is unusual compared to that of other rodents, and the part of the brain associated with the nerves that come from the ear is unusually large.

From Scientific American

The sacs of the internal ear, known as the utricle and saccule, receive the impulses of the base of the stapes.

From Project Gutenberg

When the loss of hearing, whether complete or partial, does not improve, there is reason to believe that the internal ear has suffered great and incurable changes of structure.

From Project Gutenberg