n.
Pronunciation: ' ir
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English ere, from Old English ē are; akin to Old High German ō ra ear, Latin auris, Greek ous
Date: before 12th century
1 a : the characteristic vertebrate organ of hearing and equilibrium consisting in the typical mammal of a sound-collecting outer ear separated by the tympanic membrane from a sound-transmitting middle ear that in turn is separated from a sensory inner ear by membranous fenestrae b : any of various organs (as of a fish) capable of detecting vibratory motion
2 : the external ear of humans and most mammals
3 a : the sense or act of hearing b : acuity of hearing c : sensitivity to musical tone and pitch also : the ability to retain and reproduce music that has been heard d : sensitivity to nuances of language especially as revealed in the command of verbal melody and rhythm or in the ability to render a spoken idiom accurately
4 : something resembling a mammalian ear in shape, position, or function: as a : a projecting part (as a lug or handle) b : either of a pair of tufts of lengthened feathers on the head of some birds
5 : ATTENTION , AWARENESS <lend an ear >
6 : a space in the upper corner of the front page of a periodical (as a newspaper) usually containing advertising for the periodical itself or a weather forecast
7 : a person who listens : LISTENER <looking for a friendly ear >
– all ears : eagerly listening <if anybody spoke of that grisly matter, I was all ears ⋯ and alert to hear what might be said ― Mark Twain>
– by ear : without reference to or memorization of written music <plays by ear >
– in one ear and out the other : through one's mind without making an impression <everything you say to him goes in one ear and out the other >
– on one's ear : in or into a state of irritation, shock, or discord <set the racing world on its ear by breaking the record>
– up to one's ears : deeply involved : heavily implicated < up to his ears in shady deals>
ear 1a: 1 pinna, 2 lobe, 3 auditory meatus, 4 tympanic membrane, 5 eustachian tube, 6 cochlea, 7 auditory nerve, 8 stapes, 9 semicircular canals, 10 incus, 11 malleus, 12 bones of skull