What does cochlea mean?
The cochlea is the spiral-shaped organ of hearing in the inner ear. Coiled like a snail's shell, it houses thousands of delicate hair cells that translate sound vibrations into electrical signals carried by the auditory nerve to the brain. When sound waves enter the ear, they set fluid inside the cochlea in motion, bending these hairs at different points along its length according to pitch — high frequencies near its base, low frequencies near its tip. Damage to these cells from loud noise, ageing, or certain drugs causes permanent sensorineural hearing loss, since mammalian cochlear hair cells do not regenerate. The word also appears frequently in discussions of cochlear implants, devices that bypass a non-functioning cochlea by stimulating the auditory nerve directly. Though primarily anatomical and medical vocabulary, the cochlea has become a familiar term to anyone interested in hearing health or audio technology, and its distinctive snail-shell shape makes it one of the most recognisable structures in human anatomy.
nounThe spiral-shaped, fluid-filled part of the inner ear that converts sound vibrations into nerve impulses sent to the brain.
- (Anatomy) The spiral cavity of the inner ear that contains the organ of Corti and converts sound vibrations into neural signals.
"Damage to the delicate hair cells of the cochlea can cause irreversible hearing loss."
"Prolonged exposure to loud noise can permanently damage hair cells within the cochlea."
"A cochlear implant bypasses the damaged cochlea by stimulating the auditory nerve directly."
Both 'cochleae' (Latin plural) and 'cochleas' are accepted in modern usage; the Latin form is more common in formal medical writing.
"In both ears, the cochleae showed signs of age-related degeneration."
Unroll your cochlea and it would stretch about an inch and a half — yet this tiny spiral is what turns air into music.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cochlea
The word 'cochlea' comes directly from Latin, where it meant a snail with a spiral shell, and was adopted into English anatomy in the mid-16th century as a natural description of the organ's coiled form. It derives ultimately from the Greek 'kochlias', meaning snail or screw-shaped object. Cognates include 'cochlear' (relating to the cochlea), 'conch' (from Greek 'konchē', a shellfish), and 'cockle' (a type of mollusc).
Related word forms
How cochlea is actually used
A technical term used chiefly in anatomy, medicine, audiology, and related scientific writing; rare in everyday conversation. It takes a Latin plural, 'cochleae', though the singular form dominates in practice.
Easily confused with cochlea
Cochlear is the adjective relating to the cochlea (as in cochlear implant), while cochlea is the noun naming the organ itself.