Chap 17, The Ear, Vocabulary

Question 1

auditory canal

Answer 1

Channel that leads from the pinna to the eardrum.

Question 2

auditory meatus

Answer 2

Auditory canal.

Question 3

auditory nerve fibers

Answer 3

Carry impulses from the inner ear to the brain (cerebral cortex). These fibers compose the vestibulocochlear nerve (cranial nerve VIII).

Question 4

auditory tube

Answer 4

Channel between the middle ear and the nasopharynx; eustachian tube.

Question 5

auricle

Answer 5

Flap of the ear; the protruding part of the external ear, or pinna.

Question 6

cerumen

Answer 6

Waxy substance secreted by the external ear; also called earwax.

Question 7

cochlea

Answer 7

Snail shell-shaped, spirally wound tube in the inner ear; contains hearing-sensitive receptor cells.

Question 8

endolymph

Answer 8

Fluid within the labyrinth of the inner ear.

Question 9

eustachian tube

Answer 9

Auditory tube.

Question 10

incus

Answer 10

Second ossicle (bone) of the middle ear; incus means anvil.

Question 11

labyrinth

Answer 11

Maze-like series of canals of the inner ear. This includes the cochlea, vestibule, and semicircular canals.

Question 12

malleus

Answer 12

First ossicle of the middle ear; malleus means hammer.

Question 13

organ of Corti

Answer 13

Sensitive auditory receptor area found in the cochlea of the inner ear.

Question 14

ossicle

Answer 14

Small bone of the ear; includes the malleus, incus, and stapes.

Question 15

oval window

Answer 15

Membrane between the middle ear and the inner ear.

Question 16

perilymph

Answer 16

Fluid contained in the labyrinth of the inner ear.

Question 17

pinna

Answer 17

Auricle; flap of the ear.

Question 18

semicircular canals

Answer 18

Passages in the inner ear associated with maintaining equilibrium.

Question 19

stapes

Answer 19

Third ossicle of the middle ear. Stapes means stirrup.

Question 20

tympanic membrane

Answer 20

Membrane between the outer and the middle ear; also called the eardrum.

Question 21

vestibule

Answer 21

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.