palatal-adjacent
|pal-a-tal-a-dja-cent|
/ˈpælətəl-əˈdʒeɪsənt/
next to the palate
Etymology
'palatal-adjacent' originates from Modern English, specifically formed from 'palatal' and 'adjacent', where 'palatal' derives from Latin 'palatum' meaning 'palate' and 'adjacent' derives from Latin 'adjacens' (from 'adjacere') meaning 'lying near'.
'palatal' developed from Latin 'palatum' into Medieval Latin 'palatalis' and then into English as 'palatal'; 'adjacent' came from Latin 'adjacere' into Old French and Middle English as 'adjacent'; the compound 'palatal-adjacent' is a Modern English formation combining these elements to describe adjacency to the palate.
Initially the roots meant 'palate' and 'lying near' separately; combined in Modern English the compound now specifically denotes being next to the palate or close to palatal articulation.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the state or condition of being adjacent to the palate; (linguistics) an articulatory relation in which a segment is situated next to the palatal region. (This is a nominalization of 'palatal-adjacent'.)
The palatal adjacency of the consonant influenced the vowel quality.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Adjective 1
located next to or immediately adjacent to the palate; in phonetics, describing a sound articulated near the hard palate or in a place of articulation close to the palate.
The linguist described the consonant as palatal-adjacent, producing a slightly palatalized quality.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/07 07:58