utricle
Americannoun
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a small sac or baglike body, as an air-filled cavity in a seaweed.
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Botany. a thin bladderlike pericarp or seed vessel.
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Anatomy. the larger of two sacs in the membranous labyrinth of the internal ear.
noun
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anatomy the larger of the two parts of the membranous labyrinth of the internal ear Compare saccule
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botany the bladder-like one-seeded indehiscent fruit of certain plants, esp sedges
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of utricle
1725–35; < Latin utriculus, diminutive of uter bag; see -cle 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The utricle and saccule respond to acceleration in a straight line, such as gravity.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
The roughly 30,000 hair cells in the utricle and 16,000 hair cells in the saccule lie below a gelatinous layer, with their stereocilia projecting into the gelatin.
From Textbooks ● Jun. 9, 2022
Balaban and his colleagues venture that a directed energy source could have damaged the exquisitely sensitive utricle and saccule.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 20, 2018
In those individuals, Balaban says, further tests implicated damage to the ear's otolith organs, the utricle and the saccule, key to sensing gravity.
From Science Magazine ● Jun. 20, 2018
Utric′ūlar, Utric′ūlate, containing or furnished with utricles; Utricūlif′erous, producing utricles; Utric′ūliform, shaped like a utricle; Utric′ūloid; Utric′ūlose.—n.
From Chambers's Twentieth Century Dictionary (part 4 of 4: S-Z and supplements) by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
