any of the granules of calcium carbonate in the inner ear of vertebrates. Movement of otoliths, caused by a change in position of the animal, stimulates sensory hair cells, which convey the information to the brain
2. another name for statolith (sense 1)
Derived forms
otolithic (ˌotoˈlithic)
adjective
otolith in American English
(ˈoʊtoʊˌlɪθ)
noun
1.
a tiny, bonelike particle or stony, platelike structure in the internal ear of lower vertebrates
2.
a similar calcareous concretion in the statocyst of many invertebrates