guttural
[guht-er-uh l]
- of or relating to the throat.
- harsh; throaty.
- Phonetics. pertaining to or characterized by a sound articulated in the back of the mouth, as the non-English velar fricative sound [kh] /x/.
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- a guttural sound.
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Origin of guttural
1585–95; < New Latin gutturālis of the throat, equivalent to Latin guttur gullet, throat + -ālis -al1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for guttural
Contemporary Examples
His voice would morph from a melodic baritone to a deep, guttural snarl, grinding notes to a pulp.
Future Islands Frontman Samuel T. Herring on Their 11-Year Journey to Letterman and Viral StardomMarlow Stern
April 3, 2014
She even changed the way she spoke; as a little kid, she spoke like her parents, with guttural hets and ayins.
She lets out a deep, guttural laugh, the kind that sends her into a body-shaking cough away from the phone.
Sobs wracked my body, and I heard a guttural cry like a wild animal come from somewhere deep within me.
Laila lifted her foot above one of the air gnawing skulls and brought it down with a guttural grunt.
Historical Examples
Back and forth they scurried to the sound of that guttural Japanese voice.
The HarborErnest Poole
It had a loud thick voice, a guttural whistle, which was intensely mournful.
His MasterpieceEmile Zola
There was a hissing yet guttural sound, human in quality, yet horrible to her ears.
The Film of FearArnold Fredericks
This was said in a guttural voice, the accent being quite Teutonic.
MelomaniacsJames Huneker
"You've got four, Dr. Bird," said a guttural voice from the dark.
The Great DroughtSterner St. Paul Meek
guttural
- anatomy of or relating to the throat
- phonetics pronounced in the throat or the back of the mouth; velar or uvular
- raucous
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- phonetics a guttural consonant
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Word Origin
C16: from New Latin gutturālis concerning the throat, from Latin guttur gullet
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for guttural
adj.
"pertaining to the throat," 1590s, from Middle French guttural, from Latin guttur "throat, gullet" (see bowel). The noun, in linguistics, is from 1690s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
guttural
(gŭt′ər-əl)- Of or relating to the throat.
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The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.