palatal

[ pal-uh-tl ]

adjective

1. Anatomy. of or relating to the palate.
2. Phonetics. articulated with the blade of the tongue held close to or touching the hard palate.

noun

1. Phonetics. a palatal consonant.

palatal

/ ˈpælətəl /

adjective

1. Also calledpalatine of or relating to the palate
2. phonetics of, relating to, or denoting a speech sound articulated with the blade of the tongue touching the hard palate

noun

1. Also calledpalatine the bony plate that forms the palate
2. phonetics a palatal speech sound, such as the semivowel (j)

Derived Forms

• ˈpalatally, adverb

Other Words From

• pala·tal·ism pala·tali·ty noun
• pala·tal·ly adverb
• non·pala·tal adjective noun
• pre·pala·tal adjective
• un·pala·tal adjective
• un·pala·tal·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of palatal¹

From French, dating back to 1820–30; palate, -al ¹

Example Sentences

This r is a kind of palatal blade continuant, and its use should be avoided, as it is generally held to be affected.

From Project Gutenberg

The parasphenoid is the first of the palatal bones to appear.

From Project Gutenberg

Exquisite palatal pleasures, then, are not a sine qua non in the enjoyment of table comforts.

From Project Gutenberg

This does not preclude the aspiration of consonants, or the occasional local change of a palatal into a guttural.

From Project Gutenberg

This refers to a twofold mode of pronouncing the Palatal and Lingual consonants, whether plain or aspirated.

From Project Gutenberg