cochlea

noun

plural cochleas or cochleae ˈkō-klē-ˌē How to pronounce cochlea (audio)
-ˌī,
ˈkä-klē- How to pronounce cochlea (audio)
: a hollow tube in the inner ear of higher vertebrates that is usually coiled like a snail shell and contains the sensory organ of hearing see ear illustration
cochlear adjective

Examples of cochlea in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The signals coming from the retina in each eye and the cochlea in each ear either confirm those predictions or adjust them so your brain can predict better next time. Lisa Feldman Barrett, Scientific American, 8 Aug. 2024 And the cochlea itself remained healthy in the older bats. Byhannah Richter, science.org, 30 July 2024 Cochlear implants are used to address what's known as sensorineural hearing loss, which occurs when nerve endings within the inner ear's cochlea cavity have been damaged. Ben Coxworth, New Atlas, 19 July 2024 The bone also had a number of malformations, including an unusually wide ear canal, an unusual connection between one ear canal and neighboring chamber and a small cochlea, that suggested the child had Down syndrome. Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 27 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for cochlea 

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, from Latin, snail, snail shell, from Greek kochlias, from kochlos snail; probably akin to Greek konchē mussel

First Known Use

1688, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of cochlea was in 1688

Dictionary Entries Near cochlea

Cite this Entry

“Cochlea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cochlea. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

cochlea

noun
plural cochleas or cochleae -klē-ˌē How to pronounce cochlea (audio)
-lē-ˌē,
-ˌī
: a hollow tube of the inner ear of higher vertebrates that is usually coiled like a snail shell and contains the endings of the nerve which carries information about sound to the brain
cochlear
ˈkō-klē-ər
ˈkäk-lē-
adjective

Medical Definition

cochlea

noun
co·​chle·​a ˈkō-klē-ə How to pronounce cochlea (audio) ˈkäk-lē- How to pronounce cochlea (audio)
plural cochleas or cochleae ˈkō-klē-ˌē, ˈkäk-lē-ˌē, -ˌī How to pronounce cochlea (audio)
: a division of the bony labyrinth of the inner ear coiled into the form of a snail shell and consisting of a spiral canal in the petrous part of the temporal bone in which lies a smaller membranous spiral passage that communicates with the saccule at the base of the spiral, ends blindly near its apex, and contains the organ of Corti

More from Merriam-Webster on cochlea

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!