cochlea
noun
- organ of the inner ear
Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈkɒk.li.ə/ / /ˈkoʊ.kli.ə/ / /ˈkɑ.kli.ə/
noun
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin cochlea (“a snail”), from Ancient Greek κόχλιας (kókhlias, “a snail with a spiral shell”).
- The complex, spirally coiled, tapered cavity of the inner ear of higher vertebrates, which contains the organ of Corti and in which sound vibrations are converted into nerve impulses.
- A spiral-shaped shell, especially that of a snail.