- a tiny, bonelike particle or stony, platelike structure in the internal ear of lower vertebrates
- a similar calcareous concretion in the statocyst of many invertebrates
Origin of otolith
oto- + -lithotolith
o·to·lithWebster's New World College Dictionary, Fifth Edition Copyright © 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"otolith." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/otolith>.
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otolith. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/otolith
otolith
noun
One of the small calcareous particles found in the inner ear of many vertebrates, especially fishes, which are involved in determining body orientation and sometimes in perceiving sound.
Related Forms:
- o′to·lith′ic
adjective
THE AMERICAN HERITAGE® DICTIONARY OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE, FIFTH EDITION by the Editors of the American Heritage Dictionaries. Copyright © 2016, 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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"otolith." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/otolith>.
APA Style
otolith. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/otolith
Noun
(plural otoliths)
- (zoology) A small particle, comprised mainly of calcium carbonate, found in the inner ear of vertebrates, being part of the balance sense.
Origin
From Ancient Greek ωτο (Åto), stem of οὖς (ous, “ear") + λίθος (lithos, “stone").
English Wiktionary. Available under CC-BY-SA license.
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Cite this page
MLA Style
"otolith." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/otolith>.
APA Style
otolith. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/otolith
otolith - Medical Definition
n.
One of the small calcareous particles found in the inner ear of many vertebrates, especially fishes, which are involved in determining body orientation and sometimes in perceiving sound.
Related Forms:
- o′to·lith′ic
adj.
The American Heritage Dictionary of Medicine © 2018 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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MLA Style
"otolith." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 14 January 2019. <https://www.yourdictionary.com/otolith>.
APA Style
otolith. (n.d.). Retrieved January 14th, 2019, from https://www.yourdictionary.com/otolith
