retropalatal

R1E1T1R1O1P3A1L1A1T1A1L1

adjective

Behind the palate

OriginEnglish palatal ← Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? ← Middle English palate →
Scrabble 14
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Meanings

adjectiveretropalatal (not comparable)
  1. not comparableanatomyBehind the palate

    Although obstruction may occur at any point in the pharynx, it is most frequently observed in either the retropalatal and/or the retroglossal regions [ 57 ].

    2015 July 4, Vilma E. Ortiz, Jean Kwo, “Obesity: physiologic changes and implications for preoperative management”, in BMC Anesthesiology, volume 15, →DOI

Origin

  1. Proto-Italic*wre-
  2. Latinre-
  3. Latinretrō
  4. Englishretro-
  5. Proto-Indo-European*pleth₂-?
  6. Proto-Indo-European*pel-?
  7. Proto-Indo-European*pleh₂-os
  8. Latinpalātum
  9. Old Frenchpalat
  10. Middle Englishpalate
  11. Englishpalate
  12. Proto-Indo-European*h₂el-
  13. Proto-Indo-European*h₂élisder.?
  14. Englishpalatal
  15. Englishretropalatal

From retro- + palatal.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

retropalatal. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retropalatal

MLA

“retropalatal.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retropalatal. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “retropalatal,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/retropalatal.

Source: retropalatal on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.