tragus

[ trey-guhs ]

/ ˈtreɪ gəs /

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noun, plural tra·gi

[trey-jahy]. /ˈtreɪ dʒaɪ/. Anatomy.

a fleshy prominence at the front of the external opening of the ear.

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Origin of tragus

1685–95; <Late Latin <Greek trágos hairy part of ear, literally, he-goat

Words nearby tragus

tragic hero, tragic irony, tragicomedy, tragion, tragopan, tragus, Traherne, traik, trail, trailable, trail away

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use tragus in a sentence

Insert the earbuds under your ear’s tragus and they form a tight seal that mutes the world even without the optional ANC engaged.
JBL Live Free NC+ TWS earbuds review: Made for active listening|Tony Ware|August 24, 2021|Popular-Science
Ears ovoid; tragus rather long, nearly straight, acute at the tip (Jerdon).
Natural History of the Mammalia of India and Ceylon|Robert A. Sterndale
If the pain be not quickly relieved, a leech should be applied at the base of the tragus.
A System of Practical Medicine by American Authors, Vol. I|Various
The bitemporal diameter: this is the greatest width of the cranium between the verticals passing through the base of the tragus.
Pedagogical Anthropology|Maria Montessori

Our two Horse-shoe Bats alone are without any prominent tragus.
Animal Life of the British Isles|Edward Step
The required number may be read, corresponding to the point of the tragus.
Pedagogical Anthropology|Maria Montessori

British Dictionary definitions for tragus

tragus

/ (ˈtreɪɡəs) /

noun plural -gi (-dʒaɪ)

the cartilaginous fleshy projection that partially covers the entrance to the external ear

any of the hairs that grow just inside this entrance

Derived forms of tragus

tragal, adjective

Word Origin for tragus

C17: from Late Latin, from Greek tragos hairy projection of the ear, literally: goat

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