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auricular

[aw-rik-yuh-ler]
adjective
  1. of or relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing; aural.
  2. perceived by or addressed to the ear; made in private: an auricular confession.
  3. dependent on hearing; understood or known by hearing: auricular evidence.
  4. shaped like an ear; auriculate.
  5. Anatomy. pertaining to an auricle of the heart.
  6. Ornithology. pertaining to certain often modified feathers that cover and protect the opening of a bird's ear.
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noun
  1. Usually auriculars. Ornithology. feathers that cover and protect the opening of a bird's ear.
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Origin of auricular

First recorded in 1535–45, auricular is from the Late Latin word auriculāris of, pertaining to the ear. See auricle, -ar1
Related formsau·ric·u·lar·ly, adverbin·ter·au·ric·u·lar, adjectivenon·au·ric·u·lar, adjectivepost·au·ric·u·lar, adjectivepre·au·ric·u·lar, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for preauricular

Historical Examples

  • The disease is generally confined to one eye, and complicated by swelling of the preauricular glands of that side.

    Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1

    Various

British Dictionary definitions for preauricular

auricular

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or received by the sense or organs of hearing; aural
  2. shaped like an ear
  3. of or relating to an auricle of the heart
  4. (of feathers) occurring in tufts surrounding the ears of owls and similar birds
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noun
  1. (usually plural) an auricular feather
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Derived Formsauricularly, adverb
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

Word Origin and History for preauricular

auricular

adj.

1540s, "auditory" (originally of confessions), from Medieval Latin auricularis, from Latin auricula (see auricle). Meaning "pertaining to the ear" is from 1640s.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
preauricular in Medicine

auricular

(ô-rĭk′yə-lər)
adj.
  1. Of or relating to the sense of hearing or the organs of hearing.
  2. Perceived by or spoken into the ear, as when testing hearing.
  3. Shaped like an ear or an earlobe; having earlike parts or extensions.
  4. Of or relating to an auricle of the heart.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.