Tragus
Encyclopedia
The tragus is a small pointed eminence of the external ear, situated in front of the concha
, and projecting backward over the meatus. Its name comes from the Greek
: tragos, goat, and is descriptive of its general covering on its under surface with a tuft of hair
, resembling a goat
's beard
. The nearby antitragus
projects forwards and upwards.
Because the tragus face rearwards, it aids in collecting sounds from behind. These sounds are delayed more than sounds arriving from the front, assisting the brain to sense front vs. rear sound sources.
Concha
Concha can refer to:* The bowl-shaped part of the pinna nearest the ear canal* Concha or Concho, a round decorative piece of metal seen on a western saddle and other horse equipment descended from the Spanish tradition....
, and projecting backward over the meatus. Its name comes from the Greek
Ancient Greek
Ancient Greek is the stage of the Greek language in the periods spanning the times c. 9th–6th centuries BC, , c. 5th–4th centuries BC , and the c. 3rd century BC – 6th century AD of ancient Greece and the ancient world; being predated in the 2nd millennium BC by Mycenaean Greek...
: tragos, goat, and is descriptive of its general covering on its under surface with a tuft of hair
Hair
Hair is a filamentous biomaterial, that grows from follicles found in the dermis. Found exclusively in mammals, hair is one of the defining characteristics of the mammalian class....
, resembling a goat
Goat
The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep as both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae. There are over three hundred distinct breeds of...
's beard
Beard
A beard is the collection of hair that grows on the chin, cheeks and neck of human beings. Usually, only pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards. However, women with hirsutism may develop a beard...
. The nearby antitragus
Antitragus
The antitragus is a feature of mammalian ear anatomy. In humans, it is a small tubercle that points anteriorly, but it may be much larger in some other species, most notably bats. It is separated from the tragus by the intertragic notch.-External links:...
projects forwards and upwards.
Because the tragus face rearwards, it aids in collecting sounds from behind. These sounds are delayed more than sounds arriving from the front, assisting the brain to sense front vs. rear sound sources.