the organ of hearing and equilibrium in vertebrates, in humans consisting of an external ear that gathers sound vibrations, a middle ear in which the vibrations resonate against the tympanic membrane, and a fluid-filled internal ear that maintains balance and that conducts the tympanic vibrations to the auditory nerve, which transmits them as impulses to the brain.
2.
the external ear alone: The hat completely covers his ears.
3.
the sense of hearing: sounds that are pleasing to the ear.
4.
keen or sensitive perception of the differences of sound, esp. sensitiveness to the quality and correctness of musical sounds: an ear for music; a violinist with a good ear.
5.
attention; heed: to gain a person's ear.
6.
any part that resembles or suggests an ear in position or form, as the handle of a teacup.
Journalism. a small box in either upper corner of a newspaper page, usually the front page or split page, containing the name of or a symbol for the edition, a weather bulletin, a slogan, or the like.
9.
Furniture.
a.
a decorative feature at the upper end of a leg.
b.
one of the decorative features at each end of a crest rail.
be all ears, Informal. to give all one's attention; listen: We were all ears as the scandal was revealed.
13.
bend an ear, to listen attentively: to bend an ear to a request for aid.
14.
bend someone's ear, Informal. to talk to someone uninterruptedly and often so as to induce boredom: He'll bend your ear for hours if given the chance.
15.
by ear, without reference to written or printed music: to play the piano by ear.
16.
fall on deaf ears, to be disregarded; pass unheeded: Their pleas for mercy fell on deaf ears.
17.
give ear, to pay attention; listen carefully. Also, lend an ear.
18.
go in one ear and out the other, to be heard but ignored; be put out of mind: My repeated warnings to her went in one ear and out the other.
19.
have or keep one's ear to the ground, to keep well-informed about current trends; be shrewd or astute: Because she had her ear to the ground, she made a large fortune in stock speculation.
20.
have one's ears on, Slang. to be listening through earphones to a radio, cassette player, telephone communication, or the like.
21.
pin someone's ears back, Slang. to give a person a sound beating; defeat a person utterly: If he doesn't behave himself, I'll pin his ears back.
22.
set by the ears, to cause to dispute or quarrel: He's a troublemaker who keeps trying to set the two other children by the ears.
23.
set on one's ear or ears, to excite or stir up; shock; amaze: The presence of the movie star set the whole town on its ear.
24.
turn a deaf ear to, to refuse to listen to or consider (a request, petition, etc.): He turns a deaf ear to requests for loans.
25.
up to one's ears, deeply involved or occupied to full capacity: We are up to our ears in work.
The vertebrate organ of hearing, responsible for maintaining equilibrium as well as sensing sound and divided in mammals into the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.
The part of this organ that is externally visible.
Sharpness or refinement of hearing: a singer with a good ear for harmony.
The ability to play a passage of music solely from hearing it: plays the piano by ear.
Responsiveness to the sounds or forms of spoken language: a writer with a good ear for dialogue; has an ear for foreign languages.
A flexible tuft of feathers located above the eyes of certain birds, such as owls, that functions in visual communication but not in hearing. Also called ear tuft.
A projecting handle, as on a vase or pitcher.
An invertebrate organ analogous to the mammalian ear.
The sense of hearing: a sound that grates on the ear.
Sensitivity or receptiveness to sound, especially:
Sharpness or refinement of hearing: a singer with a good ear for harmony.
The ability to play a passage of music solely from hearing it: plays the piano by ear.
Responsiveness to the sounds or forms of spoken language: a writer with a good ear for dialogue; has an ear for foreign languages.
A flexible tuft of feathers located above the eyes of certain birds, such as owls, that functions in visual communication but not in hearing. Also called ear tuft.
A projecting handle, as on a vase or pitcher.
Sympathetic or favorable attention: "[The President] wavers between the two positions, depending on who last had his ear"(Joseph C. Harsch).
Something resembling the external ear in position or shape, especially:
A flexible tuft of feathers located above the eyes of certain birds, such as owls, that functions in visual communication but not in hearing. Also called ear tuft.
A projecting handle, as on a vase or pitcher.
A small box in the upper corner of the page in a newspaper or periodical that contains a printed notice, such as promotional material or weather information.
earsInformal Headphones.
[Middle English ere, from Old English ēare; see ous- in Indo-European roots.]
"organ of hearing," O.E. eare, from P.Gmc. *auzon (cf. Dan. øre, Ger. Ohr, Goth. auso), from PIE *aus- with a sense of "perception" (cf. Gk. aus, L. auris, Lith. ausis, O.C.S. ucho, O.Ir. au "ear," Avestan usi "the two ears"). The belief that itching or burning ears means someone is talking about you is mentioned in Pliny's "Natural History" (77 C.E.). Until at least the 1880s, even some medical men still believed piercing the ear lobes improved one's eyesight. Meaning "handle of a pitcher" is c.1440. Ear-wax is from 1398. Earshot is first recorded 1607. To be wet behind the ears "naive" is implied from 1914. Phrase walls have ears attested from 1620. Earful "a piece of one's mind" is from 1917; ear-bash (v.) is Australian slang (1944) for "to talk inordinately" (to someone).
"grain part of corn," from O.E. ear (W.Saxon), æher (Northumbrian) "spike, ear of grain," from P.Gmc. *akhaz (gen. *akhizaz), from PIE base *ak- "sharp, pointed" (cf. L. acus "husk of corn;" see acrid).
The vertebrate organ of hearing, which in mammals is usually composed of three parts: the outer ear, middle ear, and inner ear. The organs of balance are also located in the ear.
An invertebrate organ analogous to the vertebrate ear.
The organ of hearing, which also plays a role in maintaining balance. It is divided into the outer ear (from the outside to the eardrum), the middle ear, and the inner ear.
An*tit"ra*gus\, n. [NL., fr. Gr. ?.] (Anat.) A prominence on the lower posterior portion of the concha of the external ear, opposite the tragus. See Ear.
Au"di*to*ry\, a. [L. auditorius.] Of or pertaining to hearing, or to the sense or organs of hearing; as, the auditory nerve. See Ear. Auditory canal (Anat.), the tube from the auditory meatus or opening of the ear to the tympanic membrane.
Au"ri*cle\, n. [L. auricula, dim. of auris ear. See Ear.]1. (Anat.) (a) The external ear, or that part of the ear which is prominent from the head. (b) The chamber, or one of the two chambers, of the heart, by which the blood is received and transmitted to the ventricle or ventricles; -- so called from its resemblance to the auricle or external ear of some quadrupeds. See Heart. 2. (Zo["o]l.) An angular or ear-shaped lobe. 3. An instrument applied to the ears to give aid in hearing; a kind of ear trumpet. --Mansfield.
Awn\, n. [OE. awn, agune, from Icel. ["o]gn, pl. agnir; akin to Sw. agn, Dan. avne, Goth. ahana, OHG. agana, G. agen, ahne, chaff, Gr. ?, AS. egla; prob. from same root as E. acute. See 3d Ear. ?1.] (Bot.) The bristle or beard of barley, oats, grasses, etc., or any similar bristlelike appendage; arista. --Gray.
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