cochlea Meaning, Definition & Usage
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noun the snail-shaped tube (in the inner ear coiled around the modiolus) where sound vibrations are converted into nerve impulses by the organ of Corti
WordNet
Coch"le*a noun
Etymology
L., a snail, or snail shell, Gr. a snail, fr. a shellfish with a spiral shell.Definitions
(Anat.) An appendage of the labyrinth of the internal ear, which is elongated and coiled into a spiral in mammals. See Ear .