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

Recent Examples on the Web

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

The saccule and utricle detect acceleration and tilting. —Shayla Love, The New Yorker, 10 Oct. 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

Linear motion is detected by the utricle and its partner bulge, the saccule. —Tony Dajer, Discover Magazine, 15 May 2021

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

Word History

Etymology

New Latin sacculus, from Latin, diminutive of saccus bag — more at sack

First Known Use

circa 1839, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for saccule

• ampoule
• bascule
• carpool
• cesspool
• ferrule
• footstool
• guayule
• lobule
• misrule
• preschool
• pustule
• whirlpool

Medical 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