saccule
noun
sac·cule
ˈsa-(ˌ)kyül 
: a little sac
specifically
: the smaller chamber of the membranous labyrinth of the ear
Examples of saccule in a Sentence
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The saccule and utricle, two chambers in the inner ear, detect the direction of gravity and help the body to balance.
—
Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023
If the cochlea were a snail’s shell, the vestibular organs—the saccule, the utricle, and three semicircular canals—would make up the snail’s body.
—Shayla Love, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2023
In those individuals, Balaban says, further tests implicated damage to the ear's otolith organs, the utricle and the saccule, key to sensing gravity.
—Richard Stone, Science | AAAS, 20 June 2018
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Matt Hrodey, Discover Magazine, 15 Nov. 2023
If the cochlea were a snail’s shell, the vestibular organs—the saccule, the utricle, and three semicircular canals—would make up the snail’s body.
—Shayla Love, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 2023
In those individuals, Balaban says, further tests implicated damage to the ear's otolith organs, the utricle and the saccule, key to sensing gravity.
—Richard Stone, Science | AAAS, 20 June 2018
Cite this Entry
“Saccule.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/saccule. Accessed 12 Mar. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
saccule
noun
sac·cule
ˈsak-(ˌ)yü(ə)l
: a little sac
specifically
: the smaller chamber of the membranous labyrinth of the ear that contains the macula sacculi
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