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external ear | outer structures of the ear that collect sound |
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pinna | auricle (little ear); projected part of the external ear (pinna = feather) |
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external auditory meatus or canal | external passage for sounds collected from the pinna to the tympanum |
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cerumen | a waxy substance secreted by glands located throughout the external canal |
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middle ear | structures in the middle of the ear that vibrate sound from the tympanic membrane to the inner ear |
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tympanic membrane (TM) (see Fig. 11-3, B) | eardrum; drum-like structure that receives sound collected in the external auditory canal and amplifies it through the middle ear |
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malleus | hammer; first of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear |
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incus | anvil; middle of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear |
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stapes | stirrup; last of the three auditory ossicles of the middle ear |
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eustachian tube | tube connecting the middle ear to the pharynx (throat) |
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oval window | membrane that covers the opening between the middle ear and inner ear |
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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 equ |
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cochlea | coiled tubular structure of the inner ear that contains the organ of Corti (cochlea = snail) |
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perilymph | fluid that fills the bony labyrinth of the inner ear |
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endolymph | fluid within the membranous labyrinth of the inner ear |
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organ of Corti | structure located in the cochlea; contains receptors (hair cells) that receive vibrations and generate nerve impulses for hearing |
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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 |
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utricle | the larger of two sacs within the membranous labyrinth of the vestibule in the inner ear (uter = leather bag) |
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saccule | the smaller of two sacs within the membranous labyrinth of the vestibule in the inner ear (sacculus = small bag) |
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semicircular canals | three canals within the inner ear that contain specialized receptor cells that generate nerve impulses with body movement |