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velar

American  
[vee-ler] / ˈvi lər /

adjective

  1. of or relating to a velum, especially the soft palate.

  2. Phonetics. articulated with the back of the tongue held close to or touching the soft palate.


noun

  1. Phonetics. a velar sound.

velar British  
/ ˈviːlə /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or attached to a velum

    velar tentacles

  2. phonetics articulated with the soft palate and the back of the tongue, as in the sounds ( k ), ( ɡ ), or ( ŋ )

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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.

See Examples For:

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

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