What does auricle mean?
An auricle is the outwardly visible portion of the ear — the shaped flap of skin and cartilage that projects from the side of the head, known technically as the pinna. Its job is largely to collect and funnel sound waves into the ear canal. The word also carries an older medical sense: early anatomists applied it to the heart's upper receiving chambers, which they thought resembled little ears, though modern usage prefers the term 'atrium' for these structures. A third, more technical sense appears in botany, where an auricle is a small ear-shaped lobe at the base of a leaf or blade. Derived from the Latin diminutive auricula, meaning 'little ear', the word entered English in the early seventeenth century and remains chiefly a term of anatomy, medicine, and natural history rather than everyday conversation, where people simply say 'ear'. Its related adjective, 'auricular', likewise means pertaining to the ear or heard by the ear.
The externally visible part of the ear; the pinna.
"A hearing aid rested snugly against her left auricle."
This is the dominant modern sense; in casual speech 'ear' is normally used instead.
A chamber of the heart that receives blood; in current terminology, an atrium, or a small appendage of one.
"The dissection guide labeled the right auricle of the preserved heart."
Now considered dated in cardiology, where 'atrium' is preferred.
An ear-shaped appendage or lobe, especially one at the base of a leaf in botanical description.
"The leaf's auricles clasp the stem on either side."
The plural follows the regular English pattern. It typically appears when referring to both ears, both heart chambers, or paired botanical lobes.
"Frost nipped at his bare auricles as he shoveled the driveway."
The word for your outer ear literally means 'little ear' in Latin — and doctors once used it to name the chambers of your heart, because they thought the organ looked like it had ears.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of auricle
Auricle comes from the Latin auricula, a diminutive of auris, meaning 'ear' — so its literal sense is 'little ear'. It was adopted into English in the early seventeenth century, initially in learned and scientific contexts. Because early anatomists judged that the heart's upper chambers bore a resemblance to small ears, they borrowed the word for those structures too, a usage later superseded by 'atrium'; cognate formations such as 'auricular' and 'auriculate' share the same Latin root.
Related word forms
How auricle is actually used
In everyday speech, most people simply say 'ear' rather than 'auricle'; the word survives mainly in anatomy, medicine, biology, and botany. In cardiology, 'atrium' has largely replaced 'auricle' for the heart's upper chambers, so using 'auricle' there can sound dated to modern clinicians. The adjective form is 'auricular'.
Easily confused with auricle
In modern cardiology 'atrium' is the standard term for the heart's upper chambers, while 'auricle' refers either to those same chambers in older terminology or to a small ear-like appendage of an atrium.
'Aureole' means a halo or circle of light, whereas 'auricle' is an anatomical term relating to the ear or heart.