utricle

n. the larger of the two vestibular sacs in the inner ear, the other being the saccule. Like the saccule, the utricle senses not only the position of the head with respect to gravity but also acceleration and deceleration. This is achieved by a special patch of epithelium—the macula—inside both the utricle and saccule. —utricular adj.

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Psychology term of the day

December 19th 2024

derivation sample

see cross-validation.