plural cochleas or cochleae
ˈkō-klē-ˌē 
-ˌī,
ˈkä-klē-
: 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
Examples of cochlea in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
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 
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.
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
Dictionary Entries Near cochlea
Cite this Entry
“Cochlea.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cochlea. Accessed 24 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
plural cochleas or cochleae
-klē-ˌē
-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
adjective
ˈkō-klē-ər
ˈkäk-lē-
Medical Definition
plural cochleas or cochleae
ˈkō-klē-ˌē, ˈkäk-lē-ˌē, -ˌī
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share