Ear n.
 1. The organ of hearing; the external ear.
 Note: ☞ In man and the higher vertebrates, the organ of hearing is very complicated, and is divisible into three parts: the external ear, which includes the pinna or auricle and meatus or external opening; the middle ear, drum, or tympanum; and the internal ear, or labyrinth. The middle ear is a cavity connected by the Eustachian tube with the pharynx, separated from the opening of the external ear by the tympanic membrane, and containing a chain of three small bones, or ossicles, named malleus, incus, and stapes, which connect this membrane with the internal ear. The essential part of the internal ear where the fibers of the auditory nerve terminate, is the membranous labyrinth, a complicated system of sacs and tubes filled with a fluid (the endolymph), and lodged in a cavity, called the bony labyrinth, in the periotic bone. The membranous labyrinth does not completely fill the bony labyrinth, but is partially suspended in it in a fluid (the perilymph). The bony labyrinth consists of a central cavity, the vestibule, into which three semicircular canals and the canal of the cochlea (spirally coiled in mammals) open. The vestibular portion of the membranous labyrinth consists of two sacs, the utriculus and sacculus, connected by a narrow tube, into the former of which three membranous semicircular canals open, while the latter is connected with a membranous tube in the cochlea containing the organ of Corti. By the help of the external ear the sonorous vibrations of the air are concentrated upon the tympanic membrane and set it vibrating, the chain of bones in the middle ear transmits these vibrations to the internal ear, where they cause certain delicate structures in the organ of Corti, and other parts of the membranous labyrinth, to stimulate the fibers of the auditory nerve to transmit sonorous impulses to the brain.
 2. The sense of hearing; the perception of sounds; the power of discriminating between different tones; as, a nice ear for music; -- in the singular only.
    Songs . . . not all ungrateful to thine ear.   --Tennyson.
 3. That which resembles in shape or position the ear of an animal; any prominence or projection on an object, -- usually one for support or attachment; a lug; a handle; as, the ears of a tub, a skillet, or dish. The ears of a boat are outside kneepieces near the bow. See Illust. of Bell.
 4. Arch. (a) Same as Acroterium. (b) Same as Crossette.
 5. Privilege of being kindly heard; favor; attention.
    Dionysius . . . would give no ear to his suit.   --Bacon.
    Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears.   --Shak.
 About the ears, in close proximity to; near at hand.
 By the ears, in close contest; as, to set by the ears; to fall together by the ears; to be by the ears.
 Button ear (in dogs), an ear which falls forward and completely hides the inside.
 Ear finger, the little finger.
 Ear of Dionysius, a kind of ear trumpet with a flexible tube; -- named from the Sicilian tyrant, who constructed a device to overhear the prisoners in his dungeons.
 Ear sand Anat., otoliths. See Otolith.
 Ear snail Zoöl., any snail of the genus Auricula and allied genera.
 Ear stones Anat., otoliths. See Otolith.
 Ear trumpet, an instrument to aid in hearing. It consists of a tube broad at the outer end, and narrowing to a slender extremity which enters the ear, thus collecting and intensifying sounds so as to assist the hearing of a partially deaf person.
 Ear vesicle Zoöl., a simple auditory organ, occurring in many worms, mollusks, etc. It consists of a small sac containing a fluid and one or more solid concretions or otocysts.
 Rose ear (in dogs), an ear which folds backward and shows part of the inside.
 To give ear to, to listen to; to heed, as advice or one advising. “Give ear unto my song.” --Goldsmith.
 To have one's ear, to be listened to with favor.
 Up to the ears, deeply submerged; almost overwhelmed; as, to be in trouble up to one's ears. [Colloq.]
 Give v. t. [imp. Gave p. p. Given p. pr. & vb. n. Giving.]
 1. To bestow without receiving a return; to confer without compensation; to impart, as a possession; to grant, as authority or permission; to yield up or allow.
    For generous lords had rather give than pay.   --Young.
 2. To yield possesion of; to deliver over, as property, in exchange for something; to pay; as, we give the value of what we buy.
    What shall a man give in exchange for his soul ?   --Matt. xvi. 26.
 3. To yield; to furnish; to produce; to emit; as, flint and steel give sparks.
 4. To communicate or announce, as advice, tidings, etc.; to pronounce; to render or utter, as an opinion, a judgment, a sentence, a shout, etc.
 5. To grant power or license to; to permit; to allow; to license; to commission.
    It is given me once again to behold my friend.   --Rowe.
    Then give thy friend to shed the sacred wine.   --Pope.
 6. To exhibit as a product or result; to produce; to show; as, the number of men, divided by the number of ships, gives four hundred to each ship.
 7. To devote; to apply; used reflexively, to devote or apply one's self; as, the soldiers give themselves to plunder; also in this sense used very frequently in the past participle; as, the people are given to luxury and pleasure; the youth is given to study.
 8. Logic & Math. To set forth as a known quantity or a known relation, or as a premise from which to reason; -- used principally in the passive form given.
 9. To allow or admit by way of supposition.
    I give not heaven for lost.   --Mlton.
 10. To attribute; to assign; to adjudge.
    I don't wonder at people's giving him to me as a lover.   --Sheridan.
 11. To excite or cause to exist, as a sensation; as, to give offense; to give pleasure or pain.
 12. To pledge; as, to give one's word.
 13. To cause; to make; -- with the infinitive; as, to give one to understand, to know, etc.
 But there the duke was given to understand
 That in a gondola were seen together
 Lorenzo and his amorous Jessica.   --Shak.
 14. To afford a view of; as, his window gave the park.
 To give away, to make over to another; to transfer.
    Whatsoever we employ in charitable uses during our lives, is given away from ourselves.   --Atterbury.
 -- To give back, to return; to restore. --Atterbury.
 To give the bag, to cheat. [Obs.]
    I fear our ears have given us the bag.   --J. Webster.
 -- To give birth to. (a) To bear or bring forth, as a child. (b) To originate; to give existence to, as an enterprise, idea.
 To give chase, to pursue.
 To give ear to. See under Ear.
 To give forth, to give out; to publish; to tell. --Hayward.
 To give ground. See under Ground, n.
 To give the hand, to pledge friendship or faith.
 To give the hand of, to espouse; to bestow in marriage.
 To give the head. See under Head, n.
 To give in. (a) To abate; to deduct. (b) To declare; to make known; to announce; to tender; as, to give in one's adhesion to a party.
 To give the lie to (a person), to tell (him) that he lies.
 To give line. See under Line.
 To give off, to emit, as steam, vapor, odor, etc.
 To give one's self away, to make an inconsiderate surrender of one's cause, an unintentional disclosure of one's purposes, or the like. [Colloq.]
 To give out. (a) To utter publicly; to report; to announce or declare.
    One that gives out himself Prince Florizel.   --Shak.
    Give out you are of Epidamnum.   --Shak.
 (b) To send out; to emit; to distribute; as, a substance gives out steam or odors.
 To give over. (a) To yield completely; to quit; to abandon. (b) To despair of. (c) To addict, resign, or apply (one's self).
    The Babylonians had given themselves over to all manner of vice.    --Grew.
 -- To give place, to withdraw; to yield one's claim.
 To give points. (a) In games of skill, to equalize chances by conceding a certain advantage; to allow a handicap. (b) To give useful suggestions. [Colloq.]
 To give rein. See under Rein, n.
 To give the sack. Same as To give the bag.
 To give and take. (a) To average gains and losses. (b) To exchange freely, as blows, sarcasms, etc.
 To give time (Law), to accord extension or forbearance to a debtor. --Abbott.
 To give the time of day, to salute one with the compliment appropriate to the hour, as “good morning.” “good evening”, etc.
 To give tongue, in hunter's phrase, to bark; -- said of dogs.
 To give up. (a) To abandon; to surrender. “Don't give up the ship.”
 He has . . . given up
 For certain drops of salt, your city Rome.   --Shak.
 (b) To make public; to reveal.
 I'll not state them
 By giving up their characters.   --Beau. & Fl.
 (c) (Used also reflexively.)
 To give up the ghost. See under Ghost.
 To give one's self up, to abandon hope; to despair; to surrender one's self.
 To give way. (a) To withdraw; to give place. (b) To yield to force or pressure; as, the scaffolding gave way. (c) Naut. To begin to row; or to row with increased energy. (d) Stock Exchange. To depreciate or decline in value; as, railroad securities gave way two per cent.
 To give way together, to row in time; to keep stroke.
 Syn: -- To Give, Confer, Grant.
 Usage: To give is the generic word, embracing all the rest. To confer was originally used of persons in power, who gave permanent grants or privileges; as, to confer the order of knighthood; and hence it still denotes the giving of something which might have been withheld; as, to confer a favor. To grant is to give in answer to a petition or request, or to one who is in some way dependent or inferior.