utricle
Americannoun
-
a small sac or baglike body, as an air-filled cavity in a seaweed.
-
Botany. a thin bladderlike pericarp or seed vessel.
-
Anatomy. the larger of two sacs in the membranous labyrinth of the internal ear.
noun
-
anatomy the larger of the two parts of the membranous labyrinth of the internal ear Compare saccule
-
botany the bladder-like one-seeded indehiscent fruit of certain plants, esp sedges
Other Word Forms
- utricular adjective
Etymology
Origin of utricle
1725–35; < Latin utriculus, diminutive of uter bag; see -cle 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The utricle and saccule respond to acceleration in a straight line, such as gravity.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
The utricle and saccule measure head orientation: their calcium carbonate crystals shift when the head is tilted, thereby activating hair cells.
From Textbooks • Jun. 9, 2022
Balaban and his colleagues venture that a directed energy source could have damaged the exquisitely sensitive utricle and saccule.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 20, 2018
In those individuals, Balaban says, further tests implicated damage to the ear's otolith organs, the utricle and the saccule, key to sensing gravity.
From Science Magazine • Jun. 20, 2018
They are absent in the lower part of the utricle where the papillae abound.
From Insectivorous Plants by Darwin, Charles
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
