dichotic

adjective

dich·​otic (ˌ)dī-ˈkō-tik 

: relating to or involving the presentation of a stimulus to one ear that differs in some respect (such as pitch, loudness, frequency, or energy) from a stimulus presented to the other ear

dichotic listening

dichotically

(ˌ)dī-ˈkō-ti-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from German dichotisch, from dich- dich- + -otisch -otic entry 2

Note: Term introduced by the German psychologist Carl Stumpf (1848-1936) in "Differenztöne und Konsonanz," Zeitschrift für Psychologie und Physiologie der Sinnesorgane, Band 39 (1905), p. 276. Stumpf attributes the coinage (along with that of diotisch "diotic" and monotisch "monotic") to his colleague H. Diels.

First Known Use

circa 1911, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

dichotic

adjective

dich·​otic (ˈ)dī-ˈkōt-ik 

: relating to or involving the presentation of a stimulus to one ear that differs in some respect (as pitch, loudness, frequency, or energy) from a stimulus presented to the other ear

dichotic listening

dichotically

-i-k(ə-)lē 

adverb