Chap 17, The Ear, Vocabulary Flashcards
auditory canal
Channel that leads from the pinna to the eardrum.
auditory meatus
Auditory canal.
auditory nerve fibers
Carry impulses from the inner ear to the brain (cerebral cortex). These fibers compose the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII).
auditory tube
Channel between the middle ear and the nasopharynx; eustachian tube.
auricle
Flap of the ear; the protruding part of the external ear, or pinna.
cerumen
Waxy substance secreted by the external ear; also called earwax.
cochlea
Snail shell-shaped, spirally wound tube in the inner ear; contains hearing-sensitive receptor cells.
endolymph
Fluid within the labyrinth of the inner ear.
eustachian tube
Auditory tube.
incus
Second ossicle (bone) of the middle ear; incus means anvil.
labyrinth
Maze-like series of canals of the inner ear. This includes the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals.
malleus
First ossicle of the middle ear; malleus means hammer.
organ of Corti
Sensitive auditory receptor area found in the cochlea of the inner ear.
ossicle
Small bone of the ear; includes the malleus, incus, and stapes.
oval window
Membrane between the middle ear and the inner ear.
perilymph
Fluid contained in the labyrinth of the inner ear.
pinna
Auricle; flap of the ear.
semicircular canals
Passages in the inner ear associated with maintaining equilibrium.
stapes
Third ossicle of the middle ear. Stapes means stirrup.
tympanic membrane
Membrane between the outer and the middle ear; also called the eardrum.
vestibule
Central cavity of the labyrinth, connecting the semicircular canals and the cochlea. The vestibule contains two structures, the saccule and utricle, that help to maintain equilibrium.
