auricle

American  

[awr-i-kuhl] / ˈɔr ɪ kəl /

noun

1. Anatomy.

   1. the projecting outer portion of the ear; pinna.

   2. Also called auricular appendage.  an ear-shaped appendage projecting from each atrium of the heart.

   3. (loosely) the atrium.

2. Botany, Zoology. a part like or likened to an ear.

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auricle British  

/ ˈɔːrɪkəl /

noun

1. 1. the upper chamber of the heart; atrium

   2. a small sac in the atrium of the heart

2. Also called: pinna.  anatomy the external part of the ear

3. Also called: auricula.  biology an ear-shaped part or appendage, such as that occurring at the join of the leaf blade and the leaf sheath in some grasses

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auricle Scientific  

/ ôr′ĭ-kəl /

1. The visible part of the outer ear.

2. An atrium of the heart.

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Other Word Forms

• auricled adjective

Etymology

Origin of auricle

First recorded in 1645–55, auricle is from the Latin word auricula the (external) ear, ear lobe. See auri- ², -cle ¹

Explanation

An auricle is a part of the human body — it means both the visible part of an ear and an upper cavity of the heart. You'll most likely come across the word auricle in an anatomy textbook, since it's a scientific term for a body part. It's more common to call an ear pinna, or the external part of the ear, an auricle, although it's occasionally also used to refer to an atrium of the heart. The word comes from the Latin auricula, "ear," with the heart meaning stemming from the ear-like shape of the heart's upper chambers.

Example Sentences

The auricle, ear canal, and tympanic membrane are often referred to as the external ear.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

The left atrium does not have pectinate muscles except in the auricle.

From Textbooks • Jun. 19, 2013

He imagined that every part of the body was represented on the auricle, the outer part of the ear, and that stimulating points on this homunculus could affect distant corresponding organs.

From Slate • Aug. 21, 2012

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me a moment: The show makes one of its points about crime and punishment by borrowing from the auricle tradition of Blue Velvet and Reservoir Dogs.

From Slate • Oct. 21, 2011

Then, if the endocardium is removed from the posterior part of the septum of the auricle up to the membranous septum, the posterior part of the auriculoventricular bundle will be exposed.

From Arteriosclerosis and Hypertension: with Chapters on Blood Pressure, 3rd Edition. by Warfield, Louis Marshall