cochlea
noun
co·chlea ˈkō-klē-ə 
ˈkä-klē-
ˈkä-klē- 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
cochlear
ˈkō-klē-ər ˈkä-
adjective ˈkä- 
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web The braincase also revealed the shortest ever cochlea found in a dinosaur. 
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 Jan. 2022 Most cases of tinnitus are due to hearing loss caused by damage to the cells responsible for hearing in the cochlea, the organ of hearing in the inner ear. Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 10 Mar. 2022 Both of your cochlea would fit on the face of a dime with room to spare. Michael B. Habib, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2022 The primary structure of hearing in the skull is called a cochlea. Michael B. Habib, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2022 The cochlea is part of the inner ear where hearing takes place, and its size can determine hearing ability. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 Jan. 2022 If your cochlea were the same relative size as a bat’s, each would be about the size of a golf ball. Michael B. Habib, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2022 Vein’s alloy of cochlea-stabbing guitar harmonics, piston-engine rhythms, jarring electronic textures and throat-shearing catharsis is nothing short of glorious. Jason Pettigrew, SPIN, 5 Jan. 2022 The best objective evidence would be obtained from pathology studies of the cochlea and vestibular organs, which would require autopsies of a mammalian species that had been exposed to the suspect phenomena. John Crowley, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022 See More
Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 Jan. 2022 Most cases of tinnitus are due to hearing loss caused by damage to the cells responsible for hearing in the cochlea, the organ of hearing in the inner ear. Dr. Keith Roach, oregonlive, 10 Mar. 2022 Both of your cochlea would fit on the face of a dime with room to spare. Michael B. Habib, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2022 The primary structure of hearing in the skull is called a cochlea. Michael B. Habib, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2022 The cochlea is part of the inner ear where hearing takes place, and its size can determine hearing ability. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 20 Jan. 2022 If your cochlea were the same relative size as a bat’s, each would be about the size of a golf ball. Michael B. Habib, Scientific American, 1 Jan. 2022 Vein’s alloy of cochlea-stabbing guitar harmonics, piston-engine rhythms, jarring electronic textures and throat-shearing catharsis is nothing short of glorious. Jason Pettigrew, SPIN, 5 Jan. 2022 The best objective evidence would be obtained from pathology studies of the cochlea and vestibular organs, which would require autopsies of a mammalian species that had been exposed to the suspect phenomena. John Crowley, Harper’s Magazine , 4 Jan. 2022 See More Word History
Etymology
New Latin, from Latin, snail, snail shell, from Greek kochlias, from kochlos snail; probably akin to Greek konchē mussel
First Known Use
1688, in the meaning defined above
Kids Definition
cochlea
noun
co·chlea ˈkō-klē-ə
ˈkä-
plural cochleas or cochleae
-ˌē,
-ˌī
: a coiled tube in the inner part of the ear that contains the endings of the nerve which carries information about sound to the brain
Medical Definition
cochlea
noun
co·chle·a ˈkō-klē-ə ˈkäk-lē-
ˈkäk-lē- 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