palatalise
|pal-a-tal-ise|
/ˈpælətəˌlaɪz/
make (a sound) palatal
Etymology
'palatalise' originates from French, specifically the word 'palataliser', where 'palatal-' meant 'of the palate'.
'palatalise' ultimately derives from Latin 'palatum' (meaning 'palate'); it passed into scientific and linguistic usage via French 'palataliser' and then into modern English as 'palatalise' (with the US spelling 'palatalize' also in use).
Initially it referred broadly to making or relating to the palate ('of the palate'), but over time it came to mean specifically 'to make a sound articulated toward the palate' (i.e., to palatalise a consonant).
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
(phonetics) To make (a consonant) palatal or to change its articulation so that the body of the tongue approaches the hard palate; to add a palatal (often y-like) quality to a sound.
Many languages palatalise velar consonants before front vowels (for example, /k/ may be palatalised).
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/18 01:51