cochlea

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin cochlea (“snail”), from Ancient Greek κοχλίας (kokhlías, “spiral, snail shell”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkɒk.lɪə/

Noun

cochlea (plural cochleas or cochleae)

1. (anatomy) The complex, spirally coiled, tapered cavity of the inner ear in which sound vibrations are converted into nerve impulses.
2. A spiral-shaped shell, especially that of a snail.

Alternative forms

• coclea

Etymology

From Ancient Greek κοχλίας (kokhlías, “spiral, snail shell”).

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈko.kʰle.a/, [ˈkɔ.kʰɫe.a]

Noun

cochlea f (genitive cochleae); first declension

1. snail
2. snail shell
3. spiral

References

• cochlea in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
• cochlea in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
• cochlea in Gaffiot, Félix (1934) Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette