palatal
Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia.
pal·a·tal
(păl′ə-təl)adj.
1. Of or relating to the palate.
2. Linguistics
a. Produced with the front of the tongue near or against the hard palate, as the (y) in English young.
b. Produced with the blade of the tongue near the hard palate, as the (ch) in English chin.
c. Produced with the front of the tongue in a forward position. Used of a vowel.
n. Linguistics
A palatal sound.
pal′a·tal·ly adv.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
palatal
(ˈpælətəl)adj
1. (Anatomy) Also called: palatine of or relating to the palate
2. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a speech sound articulated with the blade of the tongue touching the hard palate
n
3. (Anatomy) Also called: palatine the bony plate that forms the palate
4. (Phonetics & Phonology) phonetics a palatal speech sound, such as the semivowel (j)
ˈpalatally adv
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
pal•a•tal
(ˈpæl ə tl)adj.
1. Anat. of or pertaining to the palate.
2. (of a speech sound, esp. a consonant) articulated with the blade of the tongue held close to or touching the hard palate.
n. 3. a palatal consonant, as the sound (y) in yes or (KH) in German ich.
[1820–30; < French]
pal′a•tal•ly, adv.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
Noun | 1. | ![]() |
Adj. | 1. | palatal - relating to or lying near the palate; "palatal index"; "the palatine tonsils" |
2. | palatal - 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') soft - (of speech sounds); produced with the back of the tongue raised toward the hard palate; characterized by a hissing or hushing sound (as `s' and `sh') |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.