utricle

[ yoo-tri-kuhl ]

noun

1. a small sac or baglike body, as an air-filled cavity in a seaweed.
2. Botany. a thin bladderlike pericarp or seed vessel.
3. Anatomy. the larger of two sacs in the membranous labyrinth of the internal ear. Compare saccule ( def 1 ).

utricle

/ juːˈtrɪkjʊləs; ˈjuːtrɪkəl /

noun

1. anatomy the larger of the two parts of the membranous labyrinth of the internal ear Compare saccule
2. botany the bladder-like one-seeded indehiscent fruit of certain plants, esp sedges

Derived Forms

• uˈtricular, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of utricle¹

1725–35; < Latin utriculus, diminutive of uter bag; -cle ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of utricle¹

C18: from Latin ūtriculus diminutive of ūter bag

Example Sentences

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

The utricle and the saccule also have sensory hair cells that alert your brain when you have changed your position.

From Washington Post

In two areas of the inner ear, the saccule and the utricle, are hairlike cells topped with structures called otoliths.

From New York Times

But the problem is even more complex when we take into account the fact that impulses are transmitted simultaneously to the utricle and to the semicircular canals communicating with it by five openings.

From Project Gutenberg

Sepals 5, united below in an indurated cup, enclosing the utricle.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• bacterium
• egg
• germ
• unit