Definition of cochlea in English:
cochlea
nounPlural cochleae ˈkɒklɪə
The spiral cavity of the inner ear containing the organ of Corti, which produces nerve impulses in response to sound vibrations.
Example sentencesExamples
- By completely bypassing the damaged part of the cochlea, the cochlear implant uses its own electrical signals to stimulate the auditory nerve, allowing the person to hear.
- In man, the cochlea and the organ of Corti follow a spiral course of two and one half turns.
- This measures the responses the cochlea makes to sounds produced by a probe placed in the outer ear.
- In the cochlea in the inner ear, the vibrations are changed into electric signals that move along the nerves to the brain.
- The inner ear includes the cochlea, the hearing organ, and the semicircular canals and otolith organs, the sense organs of balance.
Derivatives
adjective ˈkɒklɪə
A device called a cochlear implant can be surgically inserted in the inner ear of children as young as 12 months of age to stimulate hearing.
Example sentencesExamples
- Sensorineural hearing loss indicates a disease or abnormality of the inner ear or cochlear portion of the eighth cranial nerve.
- When a hearing aid does not give sufficient amplification, as with profound deafness, a cochlear implant may help.
- No significant cochlear impairment was noticed in metabolically well-controlled diabetic patients in comparison to controls.
- The presence of tinnitus often heralds a cochlear hearing loss.
Origin
Mid 16th century (used to denote spiral objects): from Latin, 'snail shell or screw', from Greek kokhlias. The current sense dates from the late 17th century.