Wiktionary
n. Any of the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in all vertebrates.
WordNet
n. a sensory epithelial cell present in the Organ of Corti
Wikipedia
Hair cells are the sensory receptors of both the auditory system and the vestibular system in the ears of all vertebrates. Through mechanotransduction, hair cells detect movement in their environment. In mammals, the auditory hair cells are located within the spiral organ of Corti on the thin basilar membrane in the cochlea of the inner ear. They derive their name from the tufts of stereocilia called hair bundles that protrude from the apical surface of the cell into the fluid-filled cochlear duct. Mammalian cochlear hair cells are of two anatomically and functionally distinct types, known as outer, and inner hair cells. Damage to these hair cells results in decreased hearing sensitivity, and because the inner ear hair cells cannot regenerate, this damage is permanent. However, other organisms, such as the frequently studied zebrafish, and birds have hair cells that can regenerate.
Usage examples of "hair cell".
When hair cell cilia are bent by vibrations, they send impulses along the auditory nerve to the brain.
There is no living cell in all the body, neither skin, nor muscle, nor even lowest hair cell.
It becomes a hair cell, or a tooth cell, or a nail or part of the lung.