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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

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

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

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

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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