: 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: such as
a
: a projecting part (such as a lug or handle)
b
: either of a pair of tufts of lengthened feathers on the head of some birds
: a space in the upper corner of the front page of a periodical (such as a newspaper) usually containing advertising for the periodical itself or a weather forecast
Noun (1)
I'm trying to get the boss's ear in order to ask for a raise in my pay
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Taxidermists paint glass to create eyes, decorate reproduced noses and mold clay to form ear liners and details around an animal’s horns, eyes, muscles and mouth.—Lizzy Alspach, Baltimore Sun, 21 June 2024 Grizzly bears typically have short, rounded ears, a dished facial profile, a prominent shoulder hump and 2-4 inch long claws.—Steven Hill, Field & Stream, 20 June 2024 The bear was identifiable by the number on its red ear tags: 935.—The Vail Daily, The Denver Post, 20 June 2024 Simpson also got into the Disney spirit with a pair of glittering red and black Minnie Mouse ears, while Johnson donned a green Boston Celtics jersey.—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 19 June 2024 See all Example Sentences for ear
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ear.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun (1)
Middle English ere, from Old English ēare; akin to Old High German ōra ear, Latin auris, Greek ous
Noun (2)
Middle English er, ere, going back to Old English ēar (Northumbrian æhher), going back to Germanic *ahaz (whence also Old Frisian ār "ear of grain," Middle Dutch aer, aere, Old Saxon ehir, Old High German ah, ahar, ehir, Old Norse ax, Gothic ahs), going back to Indo-European *h2eḱ-es-, s-stem derivative from the base *h2eḱ- "sharp, pointed" (in reference to a spike of grain perhaps originally referring to the awns, then generalized to the entire spike), whence also Latin acer-, acus "husks of grain or legumes, chaff," Tocharian B āke "end," Tocharian A āk — more at edge entry 1
Note:
The diverse outcomes in Germanic assume generalization throughout the paradigm of the original stem variants: most forms from oblique stems *ahuz-, ahiz-, but Old High German ah, from nominative *ahaz and Old Norse ax, Gothic ahs, from a syncopated stem *ah-sa-.
: the organ of hearing and balance of vertebrates that in the typical mammal consists of a sound-collecting outer ear separated by an eardrum from a sound-carrying middle ear that in turn is separated from an inner ear containing neurons that receive sound and send nerve impulses to the brain
: 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
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