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auricle

 - 6 dictionary results

au⋅ri⋅cle

  [awr-i-kuhl]
Use auricle in a Sentence
–noun
1. Anatomy.
a. the projecting outer portion of the ear; pinna.
b. Also called auricular appendage. an ear-shaped appendage projecting from each atrium of the heart.
c. (loosely) the atrium.
2. Botany, Zoology. a part like or likened to an ear.
Origin:
1645–55; < L auricula the (external) ear, ear lobe. See auri- 2 , -cle 1

Related forms:
au⋅ri⋅cled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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a·tri·um   (ā'trē-əm)   
n.   pl. a·tri·a (ā'trē-ə) or a·tri·ums

  1. Architecture A rectangular court, as:

    1. A usually skylighted central area, often containing plants, in some modern buildings, especially of a public or commercial nature.

    2. The open area in the center of an ancient Roman house.

    3. The forecourt of a building, such as an early Christian church, enclosed on three or four sides with porticoes.

  2. Anatomy A body cavity or chamber, especially either of the upper chambers of the heart that receives blood from the veins and forces it into a ventricle. Also called auricle.


[Latin ātrium; see āter- in Indo-European roots.]
au·ri·cle   (ôr'ĭ-kəl)   
n.  

  1. Anatomy

    1. The outer projecting portion of the ear. Also called pinna.

    2. See atrium.

  2. Biology An earlobe-shaped part, process, or appendage, especially at the base of an organ.


[Middle English, auricle of the heart, from Old French, little ear, from Latin auricula, ear, earlier diminutive of auris, ear; see ous- in Indo-European roots.]
au'ri·cled (-kəld) adj.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: au·ri·cle
Pronunciation: 'or-i-k&l
Function: noun
1 a : PINNA b : an atrium of the heart
2 : an angular or ear-shaped anatomical lobe or process (as an auricular appendage of the heart)
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

auricle au·ri·cle (ôr'ĭ-kəl)
n.

  1. Atrial auricle.

  2. The projecting shell-like structure on the side of the head constituting, with the external acoustic meatus, the external ear. Also called pinna.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Encyclopedia

auricle

in human anatomy, the visible portion of the external ear, and the point of difference between the human ear and that of other mammals. The auricle in humans is almost rudimentary and generally immobile and lies close to the side of the head. It is composed of a thin plate of yellow fibrocartilage covered by a tight-fitting skin. The external ear cartilage is molded into shape and has well-defined hollows, furrows, and ridges that form an irregular shallow funnel. The deepest depression in the auricle, called the concha, leads to the external auditory canal or meatus. The one portion of the auricle that has no cartilage is the lobule-the fleshy lower part of the auricle. The auricle has several small basic muscles that connect it to the skull and scalp. Generally nonfunctional in human beings, they are capable of limited movement in some people

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Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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