ear trumpet

American  

noun

1. a trumpet-shaped device held to the ear for collecting and intensifying sounds and once commonly used as an aid to hearing.

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ear trumpet British  

noun

1. a trumpet-shaped instrument that amplifies sounds and is held to the ear: an old form of hearing aid

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Etymology

Origin of ear trumpet

First recorded in 1770–80

Example Sentences

She presided over these salons despite deafness that required visitors to all but shout into her ear trumpet.

From New York Times

I often wonder how Beethoven would react to modern-day hearing aids considering his great frustration with the ear trumpets of his day.

From New York Times

Has 21 activities, such as how to make an ear trumpet, a device Beethoven used to help him hear better.

From Washington Post

Then there were the ear trumpets he used, hornlike metal devices that were created for him to stick in his ears by Johann Nepomuk Mälzel, an inventor who also made his metronomes.

From New York Times

I knew he couldn’t hear Miss Love’s music, not without his ear trumpet.

From Literature