auricular

English

Etymology

Late Middle English, borrowed from Late Latin auriculāris, from auricula (“the external ear; the ear”) +‎ -āris (“-ar”, adjectival suffix); equivalent to auricle +‎ -ar. Doublet of auricularis.

The finger is so called because it can be readily introduced into the ear passage.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ɔːˈɹɪk.jʊl.ə/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ɔˈɹɪk.jəl.ɚ/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɪkjʊlə(ɹ)

Adjective

auricular (not comparable)

1. (relational) Of or pertaining to the ear.

   Synonym: otic

   • 1780, Kane O'Hara, “Address to the Audience by Punch, on the Opening of the Microcosm”, in Songs in the Comic Opera of Tom Thumb the Great‎^[1], Dublin: Arthur Grueber, page vi:

     […] our performances are pastimes jocular,
     To please the auricular organ and the ocular.

   1. (anatomy, relational) Of or pertaining to the sense of hearing.

      Synonyms: auditory, aural

      The auricular nerves were damaged.

   2. Told to the ear; told privately.

      auricular confession to the priest

   3. Recognized by the ear; understood by the sense of hearing.

      auricular evidence

      • c. 1603–1606 (date written), [William Shakespeare], […] His True Chronicle Historie of the Life and Death of King Lear and His Three Daughters. […] (First Quarto), London: […] Nathaniel Butter, […], published 1608, →OCLC, [Act I, scene ii]:

        […] I will place you where you shall hear us confer of this and by an auricular assurance have your satisfaction, […]

      • 1605, Francis Bacon, “The First Booke”, in The Twoo Bookes of Francis Bacon. Of the Proficience and Aduancement of Learning, Diuine and Humane, London: […] [Thomas Purfoot and Thomas Creede] for Henrie Tomes, […], →OCLC:

        [I]n the practises [astrology, natural magic and alchemy] are full of Errour and vanitie; which the great Professors themselues haue sought to vaile ouer and conceale by enigmaticall writings, and referring themselues to auricular traditions, and such other deuises, to saue the credite of Impostures; […]

      • 1891, Thomas Hardy, chapter XXV, in Tess of the d’Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented […], volume II, London: James R[ipley] Osgood, McIlvaine and Co., […], →OCLC, phase the fifth (The Woman Pays), page 200:

        When she ceased the auricular impressions from their previous endearments seemed to hustle away into the corners of their brains, repeating themselves as echoes from a time of supremely purblind foolishness.

2. (anatomy, relational) Pertaining to the auricles of the heart.
3. (art, relational) Pertaining to a style of ornamental decoration, originating in Northern Europe in the first half of the 17th century, that uses softly flowing abstract shapes in relief some of which bear a resemblance to the human ear; commonly used in silverware, picture frames, and architecture.

Derived terms

• auricular artery
• auricular fibrillation
• auricularly
• auricular muscle
• auricular style
• auriculo-
• biauricular
• cephaloauricular
• conoauricular
• interauricular
• monoauricular
• nonauricular
• oculoauricular
• periauricular
• postauricular
• preauricular
• retroauricular
• sinoauricular
• subauricular
• supraauricular
• temporoauricular
• transauricular
• zygomaticoauricular

 

Translations

of or pertaining to the ear

• Arabic: أُذُنِيّ (ʔuḏuniyy)
• Belarusian: вушны́ (vušný)
• Bulgarian: ушен (ušen)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 耳的 (zh) (ěr de)

• Czech: ušní (cs)
• Esperanto: orela
• Finnish: korva-
• German: Ohren- (de)
• Polish: uszny (pl)
• Russian: ушно́й (ru) (ušnój)
• Slovak: ušný (sk)
• Spanish: auricular (es)
• Ukrainian: вушни́й (uk) (vušnýj)

of or pertaining to the sense of hearing

• Belarusian: слухавы́ (sluxavý)
• Bulgarian: слухов (sluhov)
• Czech: sluchový (cs)
• Esperanto: aŭda
• Finnish: kuulo-
• Polish: słuchowy (pl), audialny, audytywny
• Russian: слухово́й (ru) (sluxovój)
• Spanish: auricular (es)
• Ukrainian: слухови́й (sluxovýj)

Noun

auricular (plural auriculars)

1. The little finger, the outermost and smallest finger of the hand.

   Synonyms: ear finger, fourth finger, little finger, mercurial finger, pinkie

   • 1659, Richard Lovelace, “A Fly about a Glasse of Burnt Claret”, in Lucasta posthume poems of Richard Lovelace‎^[2], London: Clement Darby, page 38:

     Yet see! my glad Auricular
     Redeems thee (though dissolv’d) a Star, […]

2. (humorous) The ear.
   • 1893, W. S. Gilbert, Arthur Sullivan, Utopia, Limited, London: Chappell & Co., act I, page 6:

     A pound of dynamite
     Explodes in his auriculars
     It’s not a pleasant sight—
     We’ll spare you the particulars.

Translations

little finger

• Arabic: خِنْصِر m (ḵinṣir)

  Egyptian Arabic: خنصر m (xenṣar)

• Catalan: auricular (ca) m
• Finnish: pikkusormi (fi)
• French: auriculaire (fr) m
• Italian: auricolare (it)

References

• “auricular”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
• “auricular”, in Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster, 1996–present.

Portuguese

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin auriculāris.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /aw.ɾi.kuˈlaʁ/ [aʊ̯.ɾi.kuˈlah]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /aw.ɾi.kuˈlaʁ/ [aʊ̯.ɾi.kuˈlah]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /aw.ɾi.kuˈlaɾ/ [aʊ̯.ɾi.kuˈlaɾ]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /aw.ɾi.kuˈlaʁ/ [aʊ̯.ɾi.kuˈlaχ]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /aw.ɾi.kuˈlaɻ/ [aʊ̯.ɾi.kuˈlaɻ]

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /aw.ɾi.kuˈlaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /aw.ɾi.kuˈlaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /aw.ɾi.kuˈla.ɾi/

• Hyphenation: au‧ri‧cu‧lar

Adjective

auricular m or f (plural auriculares, not comparable)

1. (relational) ear; auricular
2. (relational) hearing; auricular
3. (relational) auricle; auricular

Related terms

• aurícula
• orelha

 

Noun

auricular m (plural auriculares)

1. (Portugal, chiefly in the plural) earphone, earpiece

   Synonyms: fone, (Brazil) fone de ouvido

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French auriculaire. By surface analysis, auricul +‎ -ar.

Adjective

auricular m or n (feminine singular auriculară, masculine plural auriculari, feminine and neuter plural auriculare)

1. auricular

Declension

		singular				plural
		masculine	neuter	feminine		masculine	neuter	feminine
nominative- accusative	indefinite	auricular		auriculară		auriculari	auriculare
	definite	auricularul		auriculara		auricularii	auricularele
genitive- dative	indefinite	auricular		auriculare		auriculari	auriculare
	definite	auricularului		auricularei		auricularilor	auricularelor

Spanish

Earphones

Handset

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin auriculāris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /auɾikuˈlaɾ/ [au̯.ɾi.kuˈlaɾ]

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: au‧ri‧cu‧lar

Adjective

auricular m or f (masculine and feminine plural auriculares)

1. (relational) ear; auricular
2. (relational) hearing; auricular

Derived terms

• auricular anterior
• auricular posterior
• auricular superior
• fibrilación auricular
• músculo auricular anterior

 

Related terms

• aurícula

 

Noun

auricular m (plural auriculares)

1. (used in plural) earphones (a pair of small loudspeakers worn inside each outer ear or covering all or part of the ear, without a connecting band worn over head.)
2. handset, earpiece, receiver (any of several electronic devices that receive signals and convert them into sound)

   Antonym: altavoz

3. auricular (finger)

   Synonym: meñique

Further reading

• “auricular”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10