01 n. The organ of hearing; the external ear.
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1.
The organ of hearing; the external ear.
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2.
The sense of hearing; the perception of sounds; the power of discriminating between different tones; as, a nice ear for music; -- in the singular only.“Songs . . . not all ungrateful to thine ear.” — Tennyson.
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3.
That which resembles in shape or position the ear of an animal; any prominence or projection on an object, -- usually one for support or attachment; a lug; a handle; as, the ears of a tub, a skillet, or dish. The ears of a boat are outside kneepieces near the bow. See Illust. of Bell. See: Bell
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Phrases & compounds
About the ears —
in close proximity to; near at hand.
By the ears —
in close contest; as, to set by the ears; to fall together by the ears; to be by the ears.
Button ear —
an ear which falls forward and completely hides the inside.
Ear finger —
the little finger.
Ear of Dionysius —
a kind of ear trumpet with a flexible tube; -- named from the Sicilian tyrant, who constructed a device to overhear the prisoners in his dungeons.
Ear sand —
otoliths. See Otolith.
Ear snail —
any snail of the genus Auricula and allied genera.
Ear stones —
otoliths. See Otolith.
Ear trumpet —
an instrument to aid in hearing. It consists of a tube broad at the outer end, and narrowing to a slender extremity which enters the ear, thus collecting and intensifying sounds so as to assist the hearing of a partially deaf person.
Ear vesicle —
a simple auditory organ, occurring in many worms, mollusks, etc. It consists of a small sac containing a fluid and one or more solid concretions or otocysts.
Rose ear —
an ear which folds backward and shows part of the inside.
To give ear to —
to listen to; to heed, as advice or one advising.
To have one's ear —
to be listened to with favor.
Up to the ears —
deeply submerged; almost overwhelmed; as, to be in trouble up to one's ears.