alveolarise
|al-ve-o-lar-ise|
🇺🇸
/ælˌviːəˈlær.aɪz/
🇬🇧
/ælˌviːəˈlɑː.raɪz/
to make (a sound or structure) alveolar
Etymology
'alveolarise' originates from Latin, specifically from the diminutive noun 'alveolus' meaning 'small hollow' or 'cavity', combined with the adjectival suffix '-ar' giving 'alveolar', and the verb-forming suffix '-ise' (via French/Latin '-izare').
'alveolus' (Latin) gave rise to the adjective 'alveolar' in New Latin/Modern Latin usage to mean 'relating to a small cavity' or 'relating to the alveolus'; English then formed the verb 'alveolarize'/'alveolarise' by adding the productive verb suffix '-ize'/'-ise' to form 'alveolarize' which was adopted into modern English usage.
Initially related to the noun 'alveolus' meaning 'small cavity', the formation later produced adjectives and verbal forms whose modern usage primarily denotes either 'relating to the alveolus/ alveolar ridge' or 'to make/produce an alveolar articulation'; the phonetics sense (to articulate at the alveolar ridge) is the most common modern use.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to make (a sound) alveolar; to articulate a speech sound with the tongue at or near the alveolar ridge (phonetics).
In careful speech, the speaker tended to alveolarise the /t/ in medial position.
Synonyms
Verb 2
to give a structure or region alveoli or to make it 'alveolar' (rare; in medical/biological contexts).
Researchers described a process that could alveolarise developing tissue in vitro.
Last updated: 2025/09/23 01:20