tectorial
1
9.4
- adjective
- In the cochlea, the tectorial membrane acts as a roofing structure that supports the hair cells during auditory processes.
- tectorial membrane
Examples
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The physical significance of a resonant tectorial membrane is perhaps best understood by the following intuitive argument.
Academic text (1998) -
Nevertheless, behavioral thresholds return to normal (n91, n93) despite incomplete regeneration of the tectorial membrane.
Academic text (1998) -
The smaller area here is the tectorial membrane and little hair cells run between those two membranes.
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The hair cells are pulled away from the tectorial membrane, which produces low-tone hearing loss and low-tone tinnitus.
Academic text (1995) -
The tips of the longest stereocilia are inserted into the bottom surface of the tectorial membrane, and it is thought that this interaction is critical for the stimulation of the outer hair cells.
Academic text (1998) -
Second, disruption of the integrity of the tectorial membrane might also provide a model for various types of hearing disorders (n77-n79), since the shape and structure of the tectorial membrane are particularly sensitive to changes in the ionic composition of its environment.
Academic text (1998) -
In the preceding article, Gummer and Preyer report on the key roles of the outer hair cells (OHCs) and tectorial membrane during sound processing of the inner ear.
Academic text (1998) -
In the tuned region of the cochlear partition, the tectorial membrane is, in fact, not elastic but inertial because in this region it vibrates above its resonant frequency.
Academic text (1998) -
As we will see, the enhancement is possibly achieved by electromechanical forces generated by the OHCs acting in unison with inertial forces produced by the tectorial membrane to form a dynamic impedance matcher.
Academic text (1998) -
The tectorial membrane serves as a protective layer in the inner ear, playing a crucial role in sound perception.
Synonyms
1
9.6
Relating to a roof-like part of the brain or body
1
9.8
Having a protective outer layer like an onion bulb
How Protective
Surface Forms
Morphology
tectorial = tector + ial
The word is formed from a learned Latin combining form (tector) plus the adjectival suffix -ial; because 'tector' is not a standalone English base, an average B1 learner cannot reliably derive the meaning from its parts.
Etymology
Tectorial comes from the Latin root tegere, which means 'to cover'. It shares this root with the familiar word protect, so something tectorial is like a roof or shield that covers and keeps what is beneath it safe.