otolithicadj.
/ˌəʊtəˈlɪθɪk/, U.S. /ˌoʊdəˈlɪθɪk/ Anatomy.
Containing otoliths; of or relating to otoliths.
ΘΚΠ
the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > disorders of ear > [adjective] > concretion
otolithic1851
otolitic1855
1851 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 141 575 The muscular bands, the gill, the ganglion and its otolithic sac become distinct.
1875 Encycl. Brit. I. 132/1 A sensory organ, having the characters of an otolithic sac, is seated upon the ganglion.
1900 E. A. Schäfer Text-bk. Physiol. II. 1167 The most primitive form of internal ear is undoubtedly a sac containing fluid in which an otolithic mass is immersed, and having on the wall hair-like processes related to the terminations of a nerve.
1939 T. L. Green Pract. Animal Biol. i. 61 Some of the otolithic material should be washed out with a pipette and examined microscopically.
1974 V. B. Mountcastle et al. Med. Physiol. (ed. 13) I. xxvi. 693/2 The compensatory movements of the head are labyrinthine righting reactions, which are set up by stimulation of the otolithic apparatus.
2000 Hearing Res. 141 229 The ear of the goldfish (Carassius auratus) contains three otolithic endorgans: the saccule, lagena, and utricle.
Compounds
otolithic membrane n. the membrane overlying the macula of the utricle, saccule, or lagena.
ΘΚΠ
the world > life > the body > sense organ > hearing organ > parts of hearing organ > [noun] > other parts
otocony1835
otoconium1838
mediastinum auris1848
porion1909
otolith organ1919
otolithic membrane1932
stereo-cilium1933
1932 J. S. Fraser in A. L. Turner Dis. Nose, Throat & Ear (ed. 3) xxxi. 277 The stimulation of the macula is the pressure or pull of the otolithic membrane on the hair cells.
1983 Sci. Amer. Jan. 46/1 After the saccule is removed from the frog and the otolithic membrane is stripped away the epithelial layer that includes the hair cells is revealed.
1999 Proc. National Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96 14307/1 The otolithic membrane then was gently removed with forceps.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, September 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1851