cochlea
[ˈkɔ.kʰɫe.a]feminine
The Latin word for snail is cochlea.
cochlea refers to any animal of the class Gastropoda that possesses a shell. It can also be used more broadly to describe a spiral shell or any object that is spiral-shaped.
Meaning: any animal of the class Gastropoda having a shell (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word cochlea literally means a spiral shell or a snail.
How does it change in a sentence?
cochlea is a feminine noun. The genitive singular form, used to say "of the snail", is cochleae.
Did you know?
- In Roman times, cochlea also described a type of spiral-shaped siege engine used to bore through the walls of enemy cities.
- The English word 'cochlea', referring to the spiral organ of the inner ear, comes directly from the Latin cochlea because of their similar spiral shapes.
- Roman architects used the term cochlea to describe a spiral staircase.
Examples in context
- in cochleamSnail-shaped, in the shape of a spiralThis example shows how cochlea relates to the concept of being snail-shaped or in the shape of a spiral.
- Cochlea est in horto.A snail is in the garden.
Example conversation
Gaius and Claudia are looking at the garden plants.
- GaiusClaudia, vide hoc!Claudia, look at this!
- ClaudiaUbi est?Where is it?
- GaiusCochlea est prope florem.A snail is near the flower.
- ClaudiaEa est lepida.It is cute.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snail” translations and entries cochlea, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
