Definition
otocyst
noun
- An early embryonic structure that develops into the inner ear; the auditory vesicle.
Usage: technical; developmental biology
Examples
- The otocyst forms during early embryonic development from the otic placode.
- In vertebrate embryos, the otocyst eventually differentiates into the structures of the inner ear.
- The otocyst is a key structure in understanding how hearing organs develop.
- Researchers studied the otocyst to learn more about inner ear formation.