PALATAL

palatal, palatalized, palatalised

(adjective) produced with the front of the tongue near or touching the hard palate (as ‘y’) or with the blade of the tongue near the hard palate (as ‘ch’ in ‘chin’ or ‘j’ in ‘gin’)

palatal, palatine

(adjective) relating to or lying near the palate; “palatal index”; “the palatine tonsils”

palatal

(noun) a semivowel produced with the tongue near the palate (like the initial sound in the English word ‘yeast’)

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Adjective

palatal (comparative more palatal, superlative most palatal)

(anatomy) Pertaining to the palate.

(dentistry, not comparable) Of an upper tooth, on the side facing the palate.

(phonetics) Articulated at the hard palate.

Noun

palatal (plural palatals)

(phonetics) A palatal consonant.

Anagrams

• La Plata

Source: Wiktionary


Pal"a*tal, a. Etym: [Cf. F. palatal.]

1. Of or pertaining to the palate; palatine; as, the palatal bones.

2. (Phonetics)

Definition: Uttered by the aid of the palate; -- said of certain sounds, as the sound of k in kirk.

Pal"a*tal, n. (Phon.)

Definition: A sound uttered, or a letter pronounced, by the aid of the palate, as the letters k and y.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

29 May 2025

CRITICAL

(adjective) characterized by careful evaluation and judgment; “a critical reading”; “a critical dissertation”; “a critical analysis of Melville’s writings”


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Coffee Trivia

Plain brewed coffee contains almost no calories, while coffee with dairy products, sugar, and other flavorings is much higher in calories. An espresso has 20 calories. A nonfat latte has 72, while a flavored one has 134.

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