auricular

[aw-rik-yuh-ler]

adjective

of or relating to the ear or to the sense of hearing; aural.
perceived by or addressed to the ear; made in private: an auricular confession.
dependent on hearing; understood or known by hearing: auricular evidence.

shaped like an ear; auriculate.
Anatomy. pertaining to an auricle of the heart.
Ornithology. pertaining to certain often modified feathers that cover and protect the opening of a bird's ear.

noun

Usually auriculars. Ornithology. feathers that cover and protect the opening of a bird's ear.

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 of preauricular

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

of, relating to, or received by the sense or organs of hearing; aural
shaped like an ear
of or relating to an auricle of the heart
(of feathers) occurring in tufts surrounding the ears of owls and similar birds

noun

(usually plural) an auricular feather

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.

preauricular in Medicine

auricular

[ô-rĭk′yə-lər]

adj.

Of or relating to the sense of hearing or the organs of hearing.
Perceived by or spoken into the ear, as when testing hearing.
Shaped like an ear or an earlobe; having earlike parts or extensions.
Of or relating to an auricle of the heart.