Meanings
plural debuccalizations · alternative debuccalisation
- BritishCanadaEnglishOxfordUSuncountableusuallyhuman sciencesA sound change in which a consonant loses its original place of articulation and becomes glottal [h] or [ʔ].
Synonyms: deoralization · Antonyms: buccalization
Synonyms & antonyms
nounA sound change in which a consonant loses its original place of articulation and becomes glottal [h] or [ʔ].
Origin
- Proto-Indo-European*de
- Proto-Indo-European*déh₁
- Proto-Italic*dē
- Latindē
- Latindē-
- Englishde-
- Latinbucca
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
- Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
- Englishbuccal
- Englishdebuccalization
From de- (“from, off”) + buccal (“pertaining to the mouth”) + -ization. Literally meaning “removal from the mouth”.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Italian debuccalizzazione
- debuccalizzazionesound change involving the glottis
Japanese 非口腔音化
- 非口腔音化 (hikōkōonka)sound change involving the glottis
Portuguese debucalização
- debucalizaçãosound change involving the glottis
Russian дебуккализа́ция
- дебуккализа́ция (debukkalizácija)sound change involving the glottis
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with debuccalization
Cite this entry
debuccalization. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debuccalization
“debuccalization.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debuccalization. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “debuccalization,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/debuccalization.
Source: debuccalization on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.