ear openingn.
/ˈɪə ˌəʊp(ə)nɪŋ/, /ˈɪə ˌəʊpn̩ɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈɪ(ə)r ˌoʊp(ə)nɪŋ/ Zoology.
The external opening of the auditory canal, esp. in reptiles, birds, and those mammals that lack a distinct pinna.
ΚΠ
1824 Ann. Lyceum Nat. Hist. N.Y. 1 5 Ear openings distinct, situated two inches and a half behind and beneath the eyes.
a1933 J. A. Thomson Biol. for Everyman (1934) I. xx. 533 Apart from the occasional presence of glands near the ear-opening, the bird's skin has only the preen-gland.
1973 A. d'A. Bellairs & J. F. D. Frazer Smith's Brit. Amphibians & Reptiles (ed. 5) v. 159 Vestiges of a pectoral and a pelvic girdle..still remain, together with other lacertilian features such as eyelids, an external ear-opening, and a broad, flat, feebly-notched tongue.
2002 G. M. Eberhart Mysterious Creatures II. 643/2 Earless monitor, Lanthanotus borneensis.... Lacks external ear openings, and has transparent lower eyelids and a relatively long tail.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2015; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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n.1824