auditory nerve

noun

, Anatomy.

1. either one of the eighth pair of cranial nerves, consisting of sensory fibers that conduct impulses from the organs of hearing and from the semicircular canals to the brain.

auditory nerve

1. Either of the eighth pair of cranial nerves that carries sensory impulses from the ear to the brain. The auditory nerve transmits information related to sound and balance.

auditory nerve

1. The nerve that connects the inner ear with the brain . One of its two branches carries the sensation of sound to the brain; the other is involved in maintaining balance.

Word History and Origins

Origin of auditory nerve¹

First recorded in 1715–25

Example Sentences

When the vibrations hit the inner ear fluid, tiny hair cells start to convulse, creating electrical pulses that travel up the auditory nerve to the brain.

From Popular-Science

The body may be compared to a harp of two chords,—the optic nerve and the auditory nerve.

From Project Gutenberg

So far as I have been able to determine, the auditory nerve and the seventh proper possess only a single root common to the two.

From Project Gutenberg

I have not been able to prove that the commissure is continued forwards into the auditory nerve.

From Project Gutenberg

The impulses imparted to the auditory nerve reach the brain and in some unknown way are translated into sound.

From Project Gutenberg

The excitation of the auditory nerve centers compels attention.

From Project Gutenberg