cochlea

coch·le·a  (kkl-, kkl-)

n. pl. coch·le·ae (-l-, -l-) also coch·le·as

A spiral-shaped cavity of the inner ear that resembles a snail shell and contains nerve endings essential for hearing.

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[Latin, snail shell, from Greek kokhlis, snail, from kokhlos, land snail.]

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cochle·ar adj.

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cochlea [kok-lee-a, -lee-ee]

Noun

pl -leae Anat the spiral tube in the internal ear, which converts sound vibrations into nerve impulses [Greek kokhlias snail]

cochlear adj

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cochlea  (kkl-)

Plural cochleae (kkl-, -l-) or cochleas

A spiral-shaped cavity of the inner ear and the main organ of hearing. The cochlea contains the nerve endings that transmit sound vibrations from the middle ear to the auditory nerve.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

cochlea - the snail-shaped tube (in the inner ear coiled around the modiolus) where sound vibrations are converted into nerve impulses by the organ of Corti tube-shaped structure, tube - (anatomy) any hollow cylindrical body structure basilar membrane - a membrane in the cochlea that supports the organ of Corti inner ear, internal ear, labyrinth - a complex system of interconnecting cavities; concerned with hearing and equilibrium modiolus - the central conical bony pillar of the cochlea organ of Corti - the hearing organ of the inner ear; contains receptors that respond to sound waves