velarisation
|vel-a-ri-sa-tion|
/ˌvɛləˈraɪˈzeɪʃən/
making (a sound) toward the velum / producing velar quality
Etymology
'velarisation' originates from Modern English, specifically from the verb 'velarize' (or British 'velarise') plus the suffix '-ation', where the root 'velar' comes from Latin 'velum' meaning 'veil, curtain' and the suffix '-ize' meant 'to make'.
'velar' derived from Latin 'velum' (meaning 'veil, sail'), through Late/Medieval Latin forms related to 'velum' and then into English as the adjective 'velar' (meaning 'of the velum/soft palate'); that gave rise to the verb 'velarize/velarise' and subsequently the noun 'velarisation'.
Initially related to Latin 'velum' ('veil' or 'sail'), the sense shifted to anatomical use referring to the soft palate (the 'velum') and then to a phonetic sense 'of or toward the velum'; finally it came to mean 'the process of making a sound velar' or 'the quality of being velarised.'
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
the process or result of making a speech sound velar; in phonetics, a secondary articulation in which the back of the tongue approaches or contacts the soft palate (velum), or the backing/raising of vowels toward the velum.
The velarisation of /l/ produces the so-called 'dark L' in many dialects.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/18 00:11