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
- utricular adjective
Etymology
Origin of utricle
1725–35; < Latin utriculus, diminutive of uter bag; -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.
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
The utricle and the saccule also have sensory hair cells that alert your brain when you have changed your position.
From Washington Post
In two areas of the inner ear, the saccule and the utricle, are hairlike cells topped with structures called otoliths.
From New York Times
The membranous labyrinth consists of a vestibular portion formed by two small sac-like dilatations, called the saccule and the utricle, the latter of which communicates with the semicircular canals by five openings.
From Project Gutenberg
Sepals 5, united below in an indurated cup, enclosing the utricle.
From Project Gutenberg
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.
