otolith

noun

oto·​lith ˈō-tə-ˌlith 

: a calcareous concretion in the inner ear of a vertebrate or in the otocyst of an invertebrate

otolithic

ˌō-tə-ˈli-thik 

adjective

Examples of otolith in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Kitchin believes that lateral movement of the sort involved in rollerblading and skiing stimulates the otolith, a piece of calcium carbonate that sits on a person’s inner ear and triggers feelings of flow and euphoria. —Sheelah Kolhatkar, The New Yorker, 29 Jan. 2024

An otolith is an inner ear bone found in salmon and other fish that develops a new layer each year. —Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 30 July 2022

Using a bony growth called an otolith that exists in the head of most fish, Brown and others counted growth rings, estimating older fish sometimes reached the age of 14. —Ned Rozell, Anchorage Daily News, 1 May 2021

For years, scientists have used an inner ear bone called an otolith to estimate the lifespan of fish. —Jennifer Leman, Popular Mechanics, 6 Apr. 2020

The oxygen molecules in the fish ear bones, or otoliths, carry a record of life history. —Yereth Rosen, Anchorage Daily News, 4 Aug. 2017

Scientists use the growth structure of otoliths to estimate a fish's age. —Alaa Elassar, CNN, 12 Jan. 2020

The researchers then used a microscope to count the growth rings on each slice of otolith. —Sean Landsman, National Geographic, 2 Aug. 2019

Changes to otolith size could affect fish hearing and orientation, researchers say. —Elizabeth Preston, Science | AAAS, 20 June 2019

Word History

Etymology

French otolithe, from ot- + -lithe -lith

First Known Use

circa 1836, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

otolith

noun

oto·​lith ˈōt-ᵊl-ˌith 

: a calcareous concretion in the inner ear of a vertebrate or in the otocyst of an invertebrate that is especially conspicuous in many bony fishes where it forms a hard body and in most of the higher vertebrates where it is represented by a mass of small calcareous otoconia

called also statolith

otolithic

ˌōt-ᵊl-ˈith-ik 

adjective