Cochlea \Coch"le*a\, n. [L., a snail, or snail shell, Gr. ? a snail, fr. ? a shellfish with a spiral shell.]

(Anat.) An appendage of the labyrinth of the internal ear, which is elongated and coiled into a spiral in mammals. See Ear.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)