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cochlea Definition

coch·lea (käklē ə, kōklē ə)

noun pl. cochleae -·leae′ (-lē ē′) or cochleas -·leas

the spiral-shaped part of the inner ear, containing the cochlear nerve endings

Etymology: ModL < L < Gr kochlias, snail, snail shell < kochlos, shellfish; akin to konchē: see conch

Related Forms:

  • cochlear coch′·lear (-lē ər) adjective
cochlea Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • enter: As the vibrations from the bones in the middle ear enter the cochlea, they cause the fluid to move.
  • call: The inner ear consists of an organ called the cochlea, which is shaped like a snail's shell.
  • contain: The inner ear, which contains the cochlea - the hearing organ - and the vestibular organs - the organs of balance.

Adjective modifier

  • fluid-filled: The BM converts pressure fluctuations in the fluid-filled cochlea to a displacement response.
  • healthy: It works on the principle that a healthy cochlea will produce a faint echo when stimulated with sound.

Modifies a noun

  • implant: Hearing aids and cochlea implants bring sound to the hard of hearing.
  • simulation: The envelope is calculated continuously, by lowpass filtering the individual channels of the NAP as they flow from the cochlea simulation.
  • cell: Here the needle is very close to the cochlea hair cells and is recording the electrical activity directly from these hair cells.

Preposition: in

  • ear: The speech vibrations travel by conduction through the bone to the cochlea in the inner ear.