The outer visible part of the ear, or a small pouch-like structure in the heart, also called the atrium.
From Latin 'auricula,' meaning 'little ear,' derived from 'auris' (ear) with the diminutive suffix '-cula,' because the heart chambers resemble small ears when viewed from certain angles.
The heart's auricles literally get their name because physicians thought they looked like tiny ears sticking out—sometimes the best scientific names come from creative anatomical imagination!
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