the root of the ear

[Gary Tubb]

> Monier-Williams, p. 401, defines cuulaka as "the root of an elephant's ear". 
> Does anyone happen to know precisely what this is? Queries to other native 
> speakers of English, American and British, yielded only bemusement. I 
> presume it to mean the place where the external ear is attached to the scalp. 
> 
The relevant definition of 'root' in the Oxford English Dictionary is
4.a., "The embedded or basal portion of the hair, tongue, teeth,
fingers, nails, or other members or structures of the body."  Among the
examples given under this definition is one referring to the roots of a
horse's ears.