'Cochlea' definitions:
Definition of 'cochlea'
(from WordNet)
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
Definition of 'Cochlea'
From: GCIDE
- Cochlea \Coch"le*a\ (k[o^]k"l[-e]*[.a]), n. [L., a snail, or snail shell, Gr. kochli`as a snail, fr. ko`chlos a shellfish with a spiral shell.] (Anat.) An appendage of the labyrinth of the internal ear, which is elongated and coiled into a spiral in mammals. See Ear. [1913 Webster]