velar
Americanadjective
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of or relating to a velum, especially the soft palate.
-
Phonetics. articulated with the back of the tongue held close to or touching the soft palate.
noun
adjective
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of, relating to, or attached to a velum
velar tentacles
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phonetics articulated with the soft palate and the back of the tongue, as in the sounds ( k ), ( ɡ ), or ( ŋ )
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of velar
From the Latin word vēlāris, dating back to 1720–30. See velum, -ar 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
That’s the voiceless velar fricative, and it adds a wonderful percussiveness to “99 Luftbalons.”
From Slate ● Nov. 8, 2012
Farther up, within the velar area, the rudiments of the cerebral nerve-ganglion ng are seen separating from the ectoderm.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 "Gassendi, Pierre" to "Geocentric" by Various
In phonology there are also very striking differences, apart from the treatment of the labialized velar qv already mentioned.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various
We may further mention that the I. E. labialized velar gv is represented by b, e.g.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various
The foot now protrudes below the mouth, and the post-oral hemisphere of the trochosphere grows more rapidly then the anterior or velar area.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 11, Slice 5 "Gassendi, Pierre" to "Geocentric" by Various
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.