From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishcochleacoch‧le‧a /ˈkɒkliə $ ˈkɑː-/ noun (plural cochleas or cochleae /-li-aɪ/) [countable] technical HBHa part of the inner ear
Examples from the Corpus
cochlea• The word cochlea reflects their resemblance to snail shells.Origin cochlea (1500-1600) Latin “(shell of) a snail”, from Greek kochlias, from kochlos “snail”; because of its shape 