keep one's ear to the ground

ear

K k

Definitions of keep one's ear to the ground words

noun keep one's ear to the ground the organ of hearing and equilibrium in vertebrates, in humans consisting of an external ear that gathers sound vibrations, a middle ear in which the vibrations resonate against the tympanic membrane, and a fluid-filled internal ear that maintains balance and that conducts the tympanic vibrations to the auditory nerve, which transmits them as impulses to the brain. 1
noun keep one's ear to the ground the external ear alone: The hat completely covers his ears. 1
noun keep one's ear to the ground the sense of hearing: sounds that are pleasing to the ear. 1
noun keep one's ear to the ground keen or sensitive perception of the differences of sound, especially sensitiveness to the quality and correctness of musical sounds: an ear for music; a violinist with a good ear. 1
noun keep one's ear to the ground attention; heed: to gain a person's ear. 1
noun keep one's ear to the ground any part that resembles or suggests an ear in position or form, as the handle of a teacup. 1

before 900

One of the 4% oldest English words

before 900; Middle English ere, Old English ēare; cognate with Old Norse eyra, German Ohr, Gothic auso, Latin auris, Lithuanian ausìs, Greek oûs

noun

adjective

verb

adverb

pronoun

preposition

conjunction

determiner

exclamation

A common word. It’s meaning is known to most children of preschool age. About 99% of English native speakers know the meaning and use the word.

Most Europeans know this English word. The frequency of it’s usage is somewhere between "mom" and "screwdriver".

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