velarise
|ve-lar-ise|
/ˈvɛləˌraɪz/
make or become velar (add velar articulation)
Etymology
'velarise' originates from the adjective 'velar' plus the verb-forming suffix '-ise' (from French/Latin-derived English '-ize/-ise'), where 'velar' ultimately derives from Latin 'velum' meaning 'veil' or 'sail' and used anatomically for the 'soft palate'.
'velar' was formed from Latin 'velum' (through Medieval Latin 'velaris' meaning 'of the veil/sail') and then English adopted 'velar' as an adjective referring to the soft palate; later the verb 'velarise' (or 'velarize') was formed by adding the productive verb suffix '-ize/-ise' to mean 'make velar'.
Initially related to the Latin sense of 'velum' (a veil or sail) and anatomical 'soft palate', the term evolved into a technical phonetic sense meaning 'to make or become velar' in modern linguistics.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Verb 1
to produce (a consonant) with a velar articulation; to make (a sound) velar or add velar secondary articulation.
Some dialects velarise alveolar consonants before back vowels.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Verb 2
to shift articulation toward the velar region (intransitive): to become velar or acquire velar quality.
In rapid speech some consonants may velarise.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Last updated: 2025/12/18 01:29