alveolar

[ al-vee-uh-ler ]
/ ælˈvi ə lər /

adjective

Anatomy, Zoology. of or relating to an alveolus or to alveoli.
Phonetics. articulated with the tongue touching or close to the alveolar ridge, as English t, d, n; gingival.

noun

Phonetics. an alveolar sound.

Origin of alveolar

First recorded in 1790–1800; alveol- + -ar1

OTHER WORDS FROM alveolar

al·ve·o·lar·ly, adverb in·ter·al·ve·o·lar, adjective post·al·ve·o·lar, adjective pseu·do·al·ve·o·lar, adjective

Example sentences from the Web for alveolar

British Dictionary definitions for alveolar

alveolar
/ (ælˈvɪələ, ˌælvɪˈəʊlə) /

adjective

anatomy of, relating to, or resembling an alveolus
denoting the part of the jawbone containing the roots of the teeth
(of a consonant) articulated with the tongue in contact with the projecting part of the jawbone immediately behind the upper teeth

noun

an alveolar consonant, such as the speech sounds written t, d, and s in English

Medical definitions for alveolar

alveolar
[ ăl-vēə-lər ]

adj.

Relating to an alveolus.