The Ear Flashcards
Acous/o, audi/o
Hearing
Aer/o
Air or gas
Aur/i, ot/o
Ear
Cerumin/o
Wax
Salping/o
Eustachian tube or uterine tube
Tympan/o, myring/o
Eardrum
-acusis
Hearing condition
External ear
Outer structures of the ear that collect sound
Pinna
Auricle (little ear); projected part of the external ear
External auditory meatus or canal
External passage for sounds collected from the pinna to the tympanum
Cerumen
A waxy substance secreted by glands located throughout the external canal
Middle ear
Structures in the middle of the ear that vibrate sound from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear
Tympanic membrane
Eardrum; drum-like structure that receives sound collected in the external auditory canal and amplifies it through the middle ear
Malleus
Hammer; first of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear
Incus
Anvil; middle of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear
Stapes
Stirrup; last of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear
Eustachian tube, auditory tube
Tube connecting the middle ear to the pharynx (throat)
Oval window
Membrane that covers the opening between the middle ear and inner esr
Inner ear
Intricate, fluid filled, intercommunicating bony and membranous passages that function in hearing by relaying sound waves to auditory nerve fibers on a path to the brain for interpretation; also sense body movement and position to maintain balance and equilibrium
Cochlea
Coiled tubular structure of the inner ear that contains the organ of Corti
Perilymph
Fluid that fills the body labyrinth of the inner ear
Endolymph
Fluid within within the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear
Organ of Corti
Structure located in the cochlea; contains receptors (hair cells) that receive vibrations and generate nerve impulses for hearing
Vestibule
Middle part of the inner ear, in front of the semicircular canals and behind the cochlea, that contains the utricle and the saccule; functions to provide body balance and equilibrium
Utricle
The larger of two sacs within the membranous labyrinth of the vestibule in the inner ear
Saccule
The smaller of two sacs within the membranous labyrinth of the vestibule in the inner ear