velar
/ˈviːlə
/adjective
1Relating to a veil or velum.It is possible that the Texas specimens are also instars and have not developed the velar frill of mature specimens....
- Both species display an association of velar and size dimorphism in the three last instars.
- Although it is apparently unknown in chondrosteans, it is believed to be homologous to lamprey velar muscles.
2 Phonetics (Of a speech sound) pronounced with the back of the tongue near the soft palate, as in k and g in English.The back of the tongue lies opposite the soft palate or velum when the tongue is in a state of rest, and sounds made with the back include velar consonants and back vowels....
- In some parts of the country vocabulary loss continues unabated, and many children struggle to pronounce the velar fricative ‘ch’ in ‘loch’ or the ‘wh’ in ‘wheesht’.
- Modern phoneticians would more precisely categorize such consonants into velar, uvular, pharyngeal, and glottal articulations.
noun
A velar sound.His spelling of tree and leg shows that the Proto-Athabaskan velars had not yet become palatal affricates, as they soon thereafter did....
- Similarly, the voiceless velar or palatal fricative of OE (as in German ach and ich) continued in use for most of the period in England and continues to the present day in Scots.
- English doesn't have a general alternation between final velar and coronal nasals: boomerang does not become boomeran ’, and ring does not become rin’.
Origin
Early 18th century: from Latin velaris, from velum (see velum).
Rhymes
- ballerina
- ballerina shoe
- ballerino
- Ballesteros, Severiano
- ballet
- ballet blanc
- ballet bouffe
- ballet bouffon
- ballet d'action
- ballet dancer
- ballet flat
- balletic
- balletically
- ballet master
- ballet mistress
- balletomane
- balletomania
- ballet pump
- ballet shoe
- ballet slipper
- Ballets Russes
- ballett
- ball float
- ball-flower
- ball fringe