COCHLEA (cochleae)

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

Irregular inflected form: cochleae   

 Dictionary entry overview: What does cochlea mean? 

• COCHLEA (noun)
  The noun COCHLEA has 1 sense:

1. 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

  Familiarity information: COCHLEA used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• COCHLEA (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

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

Classified under:

Nouns denoting body parts

Hypernyms ("cochlea" is a kind of...):

tube; tube-shaped structure ((anatomy) any hollow cylindrical body structure)

Meronyms (parts of "cochlea"):

basilar membrane (a membrane in the cochlea that supports the organ of Corti)

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)

Holonyms ("cochlea" is a part of...):

inner ear; internal ear; labyrinth (a complex system of interconnecting cavities; concerned with hearing and equilibrium)

 Context examples 

An opening into the cochlea of the inner ear that allows for fluid within the cochlea to move.

(Fenestra Rotunda, NCI Thesaurus)

The snail-shaped cochlea is an organ in the inner ear that helps us to hear sounds.

(Protein involved in hearing loss recovery, NIH)

An opening in the cochlea where the scala tympani and scala vestibuli join to communicate.

(Helicotrema, NCI Thesaurus)

The portion of the ear located within the temporal bone that is involved in both hearing and balance and includes the semicircular canals, vestibule, and cochlea.

(Inner Ear, NCI Thesaurus)

The supporting cell sends out a narrow filament that angles towards the base of the cochlea.

(Outer Supporting Cell, NCI Thesaurus)

In the cochlea, this agent may prevent drug-induced injury to the auditory hair cells thereby preventing hearing loss.

(Ebselen-containing Oral Capsule SPI-1005, NCI Thesaurus)

A membranous tube containing endolymph within the cochlea between the scala vestibuli and the scala tympani.

(Cochlear Duct, NCI Thesaurus)

The inner ear is made up of the cochlea needed for hearing and the vestibular apparatus required for balance.

(Ear, NCI Thesaurus)

The bony projection from the inner wall of the modiolus that makes two and three quarter turns around the modiolus partially dividing the cochlea cavity.

(Lamina Spiralis Ossea, NCI Thesaurus)

A locus on the floor of the lateral surface of the fourth ventricle where auditory nerves form the cochlea synapse in the brain stem.

(Dorsal Cochlear Nucleus, NCI Thesaurus)