Cochlea

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈkɒk.li.ə/

Definitions

1. A coiled structure located in the inner ear converts acoustic vibrations into electrical signals essential for sound perception
2. This spiral-shaped part of the auditory system transforms sound wave vibrations into signals that the brain can interpret
3. A spiral, fluid-filled structure in the inner ear converts sound vibrations into neural signals that facilitate hearing

Etymology: The cochlea of your inner ear is named after a sea creature. The Ancient Greek "kókhlias" meant a snail with a spiral shell, and the Romans borrowed it as "cochlea" with the same sense. Anatomists then applied the word to the coiled, snail-shaped chamber deep in the ear, because its spiral looks like the shell. The shape is the whole story here: a single concrete image, a snail's coil, carried over into the anatomy of hearing. The word moved from a mollusc in the sea or garden to a structure that the body uses to turn sound into nerve signals, and it kept the spiral that gave it the name.