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ears

 - 12 dictionary results
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ear

1  [eer]
Use ears in a Sentence
–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, 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.
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 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.
26. wet behind the ears. wet (def. 19).
Origin:
bef. 900; ME ere, OE ēare; c. ON eyra, G Ohr, Goth auso, L auris, Lith ausìs, Gk oûs

Related forms:
earless, adjective
earlike, adjective
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ear

2  [eer]
–noun
1. the part of a cereal plant, as corn, wheat, etc., that contains the flowers and hence the fruit, grains, or kernels.
–verb (used without object)
2. to form or put forth ears.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME ere, OE ēar, æhher; c. G Ahre, ON ax, Goth ahs ear, L acus husk

ear

3  [eer]
–verb (used with object) British Dialect.
to plow; cultivate.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME ere(n), OE erian; c. ON erja, Goth arjan, L arāre

ear tuft

 
–noun
a tuft of long feathers above the eyes of some owls and other birds that becomes erect when the bird is excited or afraid but is not used in hearing.
Also called ear, horn.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To ears
ear 1   (îr)   


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n.  

  1. Anatomy

    1. 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.

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

    3. Sharpness or refinement of hearing: a singer with a good ear for harmony.

    4. The ability to play a passage of music solely from hearing it: plays the piano by ear.

    5. Responsiveness to the sounds or forms of spoken language: a writer with a good ear for dialogue; has an ear for foreign languages.

    6. 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.

    7. A projecting handle, as on a vase or pitcher.

  2. An invertebrate organ analogous to the mammalian ear.

  3. The sense of hearing: a sound that grates on the ear.

  4. Sensitivity or receptiveness to sound, especially:

    1. Sharpness or refinement of hearing: a singer with a good ear for harmony.

    2. The ability to play a passage of music solely from hearing it: plays the piano by ear.

    3. Responsiveness to the sounds or forms of spoken language: a writer with a good ear for dialogue; has an ear for foreign languages.

    4. 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.

    5. A projecting handle, as on a vase or pitcher.

  5. Sympathetic or favorable attention: "[The President] wavers between the two positions, depending on who last had his ear" (Joseph C. Harsch).

  6. Something resembling the external ear in position or shape, especially:

    1. 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.

    2. A projecting handle, as on a vase or pitcher.

  7. 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.

  8. ears Informal Headphones.


[Middle English ere, from Old English ēare; see ous- in Indo-European roots.]
ear'less adj.
ear 2   (îr)   
n.  The seed-bearing spike of a cereal plant, such as corn.
intr.v.   eared, ear·ing, ears
To form or grow ears.

[Middle English ere, from Old English ēar; see ak- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
Cite This Source
Cultural Dictionary

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.

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
Word Origin & History

ear  (2)
"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, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: ear
Pronunciation: 'i(&)r
Function: noun
1 : the characteristic vertebrate organ of hearing and equilibrium consisting in the typicalmammal of a sound-collecting outer ear separated by the tympanic membrane from a sound-transmitting middle ear that in turn is separated from a sensory inner ear by membranous fenestrae
2 a : the external ear of humans and most mammals b : a human earlobe ears pierced>
3 a : the sense or act of hearing b : acuity of hearing
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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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
Science Dictionary
ear 1   (îr)  Pronunciation Key 


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  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
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