round window
1
7.6
- noun
- /raʊnd ˈwɪndoʊ/
- Specialized
:
ventana redonda
- During the surgery, the doctor carefully examined the round window to ensure there were no obstructions.
- round window membrane
- round window occlusion
- tube into the round window
Examples
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Leaks from the round window or through defects in the promontory are uncommon.
Academic text (2007) -
A highly vascular middle ear mucosa will absorb drops before they reach the round window membrane.
Academic text (2006) -
Great care was taken to keep the cement from flowing down to the round window.
Academic text (1998) -
A raptor's head pops into view, visible through the round window in the middle of the restaurant door.
Fiction book (1993) -
You could see the peeling paint and the cracked glass in the little round window above the front door.
Fiction book (2002) -
The adhesions are approximately 1 mm from the round window membrane.
Academic text (1999) -
Accurate localization of the round window is a necessary component of this procedure.
Academic text (2001) -
And they're making some recordings from the auditory system, and in this case, they're making a recording from the round window of the cochlea.
-
In a healthy ear, the round window helps transmit sound vibrations to the cochlea.
-
The round window played a crucial role in the functioning of the auditory system.
Synonyms
A small round opening in the inner ear that joins the middle ear to the cochlea
A small opening in the middle ear wall that leads into the inner ear
A small opening that leads into the cochlea, the snail-shaped part of the inner ear
Surface Forms
Morphology
round + window
The noun phrase is a straightforward composition of 'round' (circular) + 'window' (an opening), so a learner who knows both words will naturally interpret it as a circular opening. Although the term has a specific anatomical referent (a membranous opening in the ear), that specialized meaning is a predictable, narrower instantiation of the literal composed meaning rather than an idiomatic shift.
Etymology
Round window comes from how it looks: a small, round membrane that acts like a tiny window into the inner ear. It is called that because it lets sound move into the cochlea, so the name helps you remember it is a 'small opening' important for 'hearing'.