pre-velar
|pre-vel-ar|
🇺🇸
/priːˈvɛlɚ/
🇬🇧
/priːˈvɛlə/
before the velum
Etymology
'pre-velar' originates from Latin, specifically the prefix 'prae' and the word 'velum', where 'prae-' meant 'before' and 'velum' meant 'veil' (used anatomically for the soft palate).
'pre-velar' changed from separate Latin-derived elements: Latin 'velum' gave rise to Medieval/Medieval Latin forms such as 'velaris' and then English 'velar', while the prefix 'pre-' (from Latin 'prae') was combined with 'velar' in Modern English to form the compound 'pre-velar'.
Initially it meant 'located before the velum'; over time it has retained this technical spatial sense and become specialized in phonetics to label sounds articulated slightly anterior to the velar region.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Adjective 1
in phonetics, articulated slightly in front of the velum (soft palate); describing sounds produced just anterior to the typical velar place of articulation.
The researcher described the consonant as pre-velar because its contact point was slightly in front of the velum.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/07 08:52