otolith

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word otolith. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word otolith, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say otolith in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word otolith you have here. The definition of the word otolith will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofotolith, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.

English

Alternative forms

Etymology

From oto- +‎ -lith, from Ancient Greek ὠτο- (ōto-), stem of οὖς (oûs, ear), and λίθος (líthos, stone).

Noun

otolith (plural otoliths)

  1. (zoology) A small particle, comprised mainly of calcium carbonate, found in the inner ear of vertebrates, being part of the balance sense.
    Synonyms: otoconium, otosteon, statoconium, statolith

Usage notes

Do not confuse otoliths (small stones in the inner ear as part of the vestibular sense) with ossicles (small bones in the middle ear as part of the auditory sense).

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations