1. A conical horn formerly used to direct sound to the ear of a hearing-impaired person; SYN. ear trumpet.
2. Amplifies sound and is worn to compensate for poor hearing; SYN. deaf-aid.
Any device to improve the hearing of partially deaf people. Hearing aids usually consist of a battery-powered transistorized microphone/amplifier unit and earpiece. Some miniaturized aids are compact enough to fit in the ear or be concealed in the frame of eyeglasses.