/ kɒkliə; NAmE ˈkoʊk-; ˈkɑːk-/ noun
( pl. coch·leae / -kliiː; NAmE /) ( anatomy ) a small curved tube inside the ear, which contains a small part that sends nerve signals to the brain when sounds cause it to vibrate
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WORD ORIGIN
mid 16th cent. (used to denote spiral objects): from Latin , snail shell or screw , from Greek kokhlias . The current sense dates from the late 17th cent.