velopharyngoplasty

noun

A surgical procedure that reconstructs or modifies the velum and the back of the pharynx to improve how they close during speech and swallowing.

OriginEnglish pharyngoplasty ← Ancient Greek πλᾰστός (plăstós) ← Proto-Hellenic *plát͏̌t͏̌ō? →
Scrabble 35
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Meanings

nounvelopharyngoplasty (countable and uncountable, plural velopharyngoplasties)

plural velopharyngoplasties

  1. countableuncountablemedicineA surgical procedure that reconstructs or modifies the velum and the back of the pharynx to improve how they close during speech and swallowing.

Origin

  1. Proto-Indo-European*weg-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*wegslomder.?
  3. Proto-Indo-European*weǵʰ-der.?
  4. Proto-Italic*wekslom
  5. Latinvēlum
  6. Englishvelo-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*bʰruHg-der.?
  8. Proto-Indo-European*bʰerH-der.?
  9. Pre-Greek*?der.?
  10. Ancient Greekφάρυγξ (phárunx)
  11. New Latinpharynx
  12. Englishpharyngo-
  13. Proto-Hellenic*plátʰyō
  14. Proto-Hellenic*plát͏̌t͏̌ō?
  15. Ancient Greekπλᾰ́σσω (plắssō)
  16. Ancient Greekπλᾰστός (plăstós)
  17. Englishpharyngoplasty
  18. Englishvelopharyngoplasty

From velo- + pharyngoplasty.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

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

MLA

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

Chicago

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

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