alveolar

American  

[al-vee-uh-ler] / ælˈvi ə lər /

adjective

1. Anatomy, Zoology. of or relating to an alveolus or to alveoli.

2. Phonetics. articulated with the tongue touching or close to the alveolar ridge, as English t, d, n; gingival.

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noun

1. Phonetics. an alveolar sound.

alveolar British  

/ ˌælvɪˈəʊlə, ælˈvɪələ /

adjective

1. anatomy of, relating to, or resembling an alveolus

2. denoting the part of the jawbone containing the roots of the teeth

3. (of a consonant) articulated with the tongue in contact with the projecting part of the jawbone immediately behind the upper teeth

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noun

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

Other Word Forms

• alveolarly adverb
• interalveolar adjective
• postalveolar adjective
• pseudoalveolar adjective

Etymology

Origin of alveolar

First recorded in 1790–1800; alveol- + -ar ¹

Example Sentences

Diagnosed with alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive cancer affecting soft tissue, Duong has a malignant mass blocking blood flow to his optic nerve.

From Los Angeles Times

"Even though the periodontal tissue is composed of gingiva, periodontal ligament, alveolar bone, and cementum, analyses are usually performed exclusively on gingival samples due to technical and quantitative limitations," remarks lead author Mr. Anhao Liu.

From Science Daily

These cells, Type 1 alveolar epithelial cells, handle gas exchange, letting oxygen in and carbon dioxide out.

From Science Daily

But as genomic data revealed, the children shared another characteristic: the absence of a chemical receptor that is supposed to call alveolar macrophages into action.

From Science Daily

Alveoli are crucialto human survival, and their health is dependent on a lipid-rich environment created by alveolar cells and sustained by macrophages.

From Science Daily