'alveolar-nasal' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'alveolus,' where 'alveolus' meant 'small cavity,' and 'nasalis,' where 'nasalis' meant 'of the nose.'

'alveolus' transformed into the English word 'alveolar,' and 'nasalis' became 'nasal,' eventually forming the compound term 'alveolar-nasal.'

Initially, it referred to anatomical structures, but over time it evolved into its current meaning of describing a specific type of nasal sound in phonetics.