Meanings
adjectivealveolar (not comparable)
- not comparablehuman sciencesFormed with the tongue touching or approaching the inner ridge of the gums of the upper front teeth.
In the case of the Wubuy alveolar versus retroflex contrast for instance, we argue that the phonetic overlap is so great that native listeners can behave as if this were an instance of a good and a 'less good' instance of a single category (CG).
2015 December 4, “Discrimination of Multiple Coronal Stop Contrasts in Wubuy (Australia): A Natural Referent Consonant Account”, in PLOS ONE, →DOI - not comparablerelationalanatomyRelating to the glands with secretory cells about a central space.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn alveolar consonant.
Similar
More synonyms by meaning
nouna consonant articulated with the tip of the tongue near the gum ridge
Similar
alveolar consonant
Broader
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂ewlós
- Proto-Italic*aulos?
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Italic*alwos?
- Latinalvus
- Latinalveus
- Latinalveolus
- Englishalveolus
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Englishalveolar
Translations
Arabic سِنْخِيّ, لِثَوِيّ
- سِنْخِيّ (sinḵiyy)relating to the jaw ridge
- لِثَوِيّ (liṯawiyy)formed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
Catalan alveolar, alveolar
- alveolarrelating to the lung alveoli
- alveolarformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolarrelating to alveolar glands
Chinese Mandarin 肺泡的, 齒槽的 /齿槽的
- 肺泡的 (fèipào de)relating to the lung alveoli
- 齒槽的 /齿槽的 (chǐcáo de)relating to the jaw ridge
- 齒齦的 /齿龈的 (chǐyín de)formed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- 泡狀的 /泡状的 (pàozhuàngde)relating to alveolar glands
- 齒齦音 /齿龈音 (chǐyínyīn)alveolar consonant
- 齦音 /龈音 (yínyīn)alveolar consonant
Czech dásňový, alveolární
- dásňovýformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolárníformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveoláraalveolar consonant
- dásňovkaalveolar consonant
Danish alveolær, alveolar
- alveolærformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolaralveolar consonant
Finnish alveolaarinen, alveolaarinen
- alveolaarinenrelating to the lung alveoli
- alveolaarinenrelating to the jaw ridge
- alveolaarinenformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolaarinenrelating to alveolar glands
- alveolaarialveolar consonant
French alvéolaire, alvéolaire
- alvéolairerelating to the lung alveoli
- alvéolairerelating to the jaw ridge
- alvéolaireformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alvéolairerelating to alveolar glands
- alvéolairealveolar consonant
German alveolar, Zahndammlaut
- alveolarformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- Zahndammlautalveolar consonant
- Alveolaralveolar consonant
Greek φατνιακός, φατνιακός
- φατνιακός (fatniakós)relating to the jaw ridge
- φατνιακός (fatniakós)formed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
Hungarian alveoláris, fogmederhang
- alveolárisformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- fogmederhangalveolar consonant
Icelandic tannbergsmæltur
- tannbergsmælturformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
Irish ailbheolach, ailbheolach
- ailbheolachrelating to the lung alveoli
- ailbheolachrelating to the jaw ridge
- ailbheolachformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- ailbheolachalveolar consonant
Italian alveolare, alveolare
- alveolarerelating to the lung alveoli
- alveolarerelating to the jaw ridge
- alveolareformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolarerelating to alveolar glands
Japanese 歯茎-, 歯茎音
- 歯茎-formed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- 歯茎音 (hagukion)alveolar consonant
Polish alweolarny, dziąsłowy
- alweolarnyformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- dziąsłowyformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
Portuguese alveolar, alveolar
- alveolarrelating to the lung alveoli
- alveolarrelating to the jaw ridge
- alveolarformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolaralveolar consonant
Romanian alveolar, alveolar
- alveolarrelating to the lung alveoli
- alveolarrelating to the jaw ridge
- alveolarformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolarrelating to alveolar glands
- alveolarăalveolar consonant
- consoană alveolarăalveolar consonant
Russian альвеоля́рный, альвеоля́рный
- альвеоля́рный (alʹveoljárnyj)formed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- альвеоля́рный (alʹveoljárnyj)relating to alveolar glands
- альвеоля́рный согла́сный (alʹveoljárnyj soglásnyj)alveolar consonant
- альвеоля́р (alʹveoljár)alveolar consonant
Scottish Gaelic ailbhealach, ailbhealach
- ailbhealachrelating to the jaw ridge
- ailbhealachformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
Spanish alveolar, alveolar
- alveolarrelating to the lung alveoli
- alveolarrelating to the jaw ridge
- alveolarformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolarrelating to alveolar glands
Swedish alveolar, alveolar
- alveolarformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- alveolaralveolar consonant
Welsh alfeolaidd, gorfannol
- alfeolaiddrelating to the lung alveoli
- gorfannolrelating to the jaw ridge
- gorfannolformed with the tongue touching or approaching the ridge behind the upper teeth
- gorfannolrelating to alveolar glands
- cytsain gorfannolalveolar consonant
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with alveolar
solarcontrollerrollerpolarbipolarstrollercomptrollerbowlermolarvacuolarunipolarcircumpolarnucleolardipolarbronchoalveolartrollerpollernonpolarosmolarmultipolarpatrollerequimolarpolerarteriolar
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
alveolar. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alveolar
MLA
“alveolar.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alveolar. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “alveolar,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/alveolar.
Source: alveolar on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.