earless

ear

1 [eer]
noun
1.
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, especially 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.
7.
Architecture, crossette.
8.
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.
10.
ears, Slang. earphones.
11.
ear tuft.
Idioms
12.
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/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/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.
26.
wet behind the ears. wet ( def 19 ).
00:10
Earless is always a great word to know.
So is ninnyhammer. Does it mean:
a fool or simpleton; ninny.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
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Origin:
before 900; Middle English ere, Old English ēare; cognate with Old Norse eyra, German Ohr, Gothic auso, Latin auris, Lithuanian ausìs, Greek oûs

Related forms
ear·less, adjective
ear·like, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To earless
Collins
World English Dictionary
ear1 (ɪə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  external ear middle ear See internal ear the organ of hearing and balance in higher vertebrates and of balance only in fishes. In man and other mammals it consists of three partsRelated: aural, otic
2.  the outermost cartilaginous part of the ear (pinna) in mammals, esp man
3.  the sense of hearing
4.  sensitivity to musical sounds, poetic diction, etc: he has an ear for music
5.  attention, esp favourable attention; consideration; heed (esp in the phrases give ear to, lend an ear)
6.  an object resembling the external ear in shape or position, such as a handle on a jug
7.  Also called (esp Brit): earpiece a display box at the head of a newspaper page, esp the front page, for advertisements, etc
8.  all ears very attentive; listening carefully
9.  by ear without reading from written music
10.  slang chew someone's ear to reprimand severely
11.  fall on deaf ears to be ignored or pass unnoticed
12.  (Caribbean) have hard ears to be stubbornly disobedient
13.  informal a flea in one's ear a sharp rebuke
14.  have the ear of to be in a position to influence: he has the ear of the president
15.  in one ear and out the other heard but unheeded
16.  keep one's ear to the ground, have one's ear to the ground to be or try to be well informed about current trends and opinions
17.  informal make a pig's ear of to ruin disastrously
18.  one's ears are burning one is aware of being the topic of another's conversation
19.  informal out on one's ear dismissed unceremoniously
20.  play by ear
 a.  to act according to the demands of a situation rather than to a plan; improvise
 b.  to perform a musical piece on an instrument without written music
21.  prick up one's ears to start to listen attentively; become interested
22.  set by the ears to cause disagreement or commotion
23.  informal a thick ear a blow on the ear delivered as punishment, in anger, etc
24.  turn a deaf ear to be deliberately unresponsive
25.  informal up to one's ears deeply involved, as in work or debt
26.  informal wet behind the ears inexperienced; naive; immature
 
Related: aural, otic
 
[Old English ēare; related to Old Norse eyra, Old High German ōra, Gothic ausō, Greek ous, Latin auris]
 
'earless1
 
—adj
 
'earlike1
 
—adj

ear1 (ɪə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  external ear middle ear See internal ear the organ of hearing and balance in higher vertebrates and of balance only in fishes. In man and other mammals it consists of three partsRelated: aural, otic
2.  the outermost cartilaginous part of the ear (pinna) in mammals, esp man
3.  the sense of hearing
4.  sensitivity to musical sounds, poetic diction, etc: he has an ear for music
5.  attention, esp favourable attention; consideration; heed (esp in the phrases give ear to, lend an ear)
6.  an object resembling the external ear in shape or position, such as a handle on a jug
7.  Also called (esp Brit): earpiece a display box at the head of a newspaper page, esp the front page, for advertisements, etc
8.  all ears very attentive; listening carefully
9.  by ear without reading from written music
10.  slang chew someone's ear to reprimand severely
11.  fall on deaf ears to be ignored or pass unnoticed
12.  (Caribbean) have hard ears to be stubbornly disobedient
13.  informal a flea in one's ear a sharp rebuke
14.  have the ear of to be in a position to influence: he has the ear of the president
15.  in one ear and out the other heard but unheeded
16.  keep one's ear to the ground, have one's ear to the ground to be or try to be well informed about current trends and opinions
17.  informal make a pig's ear of to ruin disastrously
18.  one's ears are burning one is aware of being the topic of another's conversation
19.  informal out on one's ear dismissed unceremoniously
20.  play by ear
 a.  to act according to the demands of a situation rather than to a plan; improvise
 b.  to perform a musical piece on an instrument without written music
21.  prick up one's ears to start to listen attentively; become interested
22.  set by the ears to cause disagreement or commotion
23.  informal a thick ear a blow on the ear delivered as punishment, in anger, etc
24.  turn a deaf ear to be deliberately unresponsive
25.  informal up to one's ears deeply involved, as in work or debt
26.  informal wet behind the ears inexperienced; naive; immature
 
Related: aural, otic
 
[Old English ēare; related to Old Norse eyra, Old High German ōra, Gothic ausō, Greek ous, Latin auris]
 
'earless1
 
—adj
 
'earlike1
 
—adj

ear2 (ɪə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  the part of a cereal plant, such as wheat or barley, that contains the seeds, grains, or kernels
 
—vb
2.  (intr) (of cereal plants) to develop such parts
 
[Old English ēar; related to Old High German ahar, Old Norse ax, Gothic ahs ear, Latin acus chaff, Greek akros pointed]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

ear
"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 mid-15c. To be wet behind the ears "naive" is implied from 1914. Phrase walls have ears attested from 1620. Ear-bash (v.) is Australian slang (1944) for "to talk inordinately" (to someone).

ear
"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).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

ear (ēr)
n.

  1. The organ of hearing, responsible for maintaining equilibrium as well as sensing sound and divided into the external ear, the middle ear, and the inner ear.

  2. The part of this organ that is externally visible.

  3. The sense of hearing.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Science Dictionary
ear 1   (îr)  Pronunciation Key 


(click for larger image in new window)

  1. 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.

  2. An invertebrate organ analogous to the vertebrate ear.


ear 2   (îr)  Pronunciation Key 
The seed-bearing spike of a cereal plant, such as corn or wheat.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
American Heritage
Cultural Dictionary

ear definition


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.

The American Heritage® New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Easton
Bible Dictionary

Ear definition


used frequently in a figurative sense (Ps. 34:15). To "uncover the ear" is to show respect to a person (1 Sam. 20:2 marg.). To have the "ear heavy", or to have "uncircumcised ears" (Isa. 6:10), is to be inattentive and disobedient. To have the ear "bored" through with an awl was a sign of perpetual servitude (Ex. 21:6).

Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary
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