auditory nerve
noun
: either of the eighth pair of cranial nerves connecting the inner ear with the brain and transmitting impulses concerned with hearing and balance see ear illustration
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web Rather than amplifying sound, as hearing aids do, cochlear implants send electrical signals directly to the auditory nerve, via an implant in the inner ear combined with an external sensor. 
Sonja Sharpstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2022 The mechanical vibrations of the hair cells end up relaying signals to the auditory nerve, which sends that information to the brain. Dallas News, 21 July 2021 The one undeniably successful neural prosthesis is the artificial cochlea, which restores hearing by feeding signals from a microphone into the auditory nerve. John Horgan, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2021 Doctors put cochlear implants in both ears, the devices delivering sound directly to the auditory nerve. Janet Shamlian, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2020 When noise hits our eardrums, tiny hairs convert it into an electric signal, which travels through the auditory nerve to the temporal lobe. Popular Science, 23 Jan. 2020 Unlike hearing aids that simply amplify sounds, the implant sends digital sound signals to the auditory nerve, which then sends the signal to the brain. Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2019 Then, a transmitter converts signals from the processor into electric impulses, which are sent to the auditory nerve. Michelle Lou, CNN, 21 June 2019 The procedure involves implanting a small electronic device into a person's ear, bypassing damaged portions of the ear and stimulating the auditory nerve, according to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Michelle Lou, CNN, 21 June 2019 See More
Sonja Sharpstaff Writer, Los Angeles Times, 10 May 2022 The mechanical vibrations of the hair cells end up relaying signals to the auditory nerve, which sends that information to the brain. Dallas News, 21 July 2021 The one undeniably successful neural prosthesis is the artificial cochlea, which restores hearing by feeding signals from a microphone into the auditory nerve. John Horgan, Scientific American, 23 Jan. 2021 Doctors put cochlear implants in both ears, the devices delivering sound directly to the auditory nerve. Janet Shamlian, CBS News, 4 Aug. 2020 When noise hits our eardrums, tiny hairs convert it into an electric signal, which travels through the auditory nerve to the temporal lobe. Popular Science, 23 Jan. 2020 Unlike hearing aids that simply amplify sounds, the implant sends digital sound signals to the auditory nerve, which then sends the signal to the brain. Caitlin O'kane, CBS News, 19 Dec. 2019 Then, a transmitter converts signals from the processor into electric impulses, which are sent to the auditory nerve. Michelle Lou, CNN, 21 June 2019 The procedure involves implanting a small electronic device into a person's ear, bypassing damaged portions of the ear and stimulating the auditory nerve, according to the National Institute on Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD). Michelle Lou, CNN, 21 June 2019 See More Word History
First Known Use
1713, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
auditory nerve
noun
: either of the eighth pair of cranial nerves connecting the inner ear with the brain, transmitting impulses concerned with hearing and balance, and composed of the cochlear nerve and the vestibular nerve
called also acoustic nerve, auditory, eighth cranial nerve, vestibulocochlear nerve