alveolar

adjective

al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-(ə-)lər How to pronounce alveolar (audio)
1
: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli
especially : of, relating to, or constituting the part of the jaws where the teeth arise, the air-containing compartments of the lungs, or glands with secretory cells about a central space
2
phonetics : articulated with the tip of the tongue touching or near the ridge of bone behind the teeth in the upper jaw
\d\, \n\, and \t\ are alveolar consonants.
alveolarly adverb

Examples of alveolar in a Sentence

The word “two” begins with an alveolar sound.
Recent Examples on the Web She was diagnosed with Stage 4 alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare soft tissue cancer. Jordan Greene, Peoplemag, 17 Nov. 2023 Covid patients can develop scar tissue and permanent changes to the alveolar walls that limit airflow even after the inflammation and fluid of an active infection has cleared. Hang Do Thi Duc, New York Times, 31 May 2023 Generally, cells in the lungs called alveolar macrophages will pick up the particulates and clear them out – at reasonable doses. Christopher T. Migliaccio, Fortune, 7 June 2023 Pollutants reaching the alveolar gas-exchanging membranes are removed by specialized cells called phagocytes and macrophages that ingest particles to move most to be carried away via lymph vessels and nodes. Arthur Dalley, Discover Magazine, 8 Mar. 2019 Keeping alveolar macrophages in check would be the best way to stop COPD at its roots. Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2015 Autopsies of inmates executed by states had shown the drug to cause flash pulmonary edema—an onrush of fluid into the lungs, which would induce the sensation of drowning, filings asserted, in a foam-like substance produced as the liquid mixed with alveolar air. Caroline Lester, Harper's Magazine, 27 Apr. 2021 The # is an alveolar click, made by pulling the tip of the tongue down sharply from the roof of the mouth to make the sound of a popping cork. Ed Yong, Discover Magazine, 17 Feb. 2010 Researchers therefore wanted to test alendronate’s ability to kill alveolar macrophages. Carl Engelking, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2015

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'alveolar.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of alveolar was in 1750

Dictionary Entries Near alveolar

Cite this Entry

“Alveolar.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/alveolar. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

alveolar

adjective
al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-ə-lər How to pronounce alveolar (audio)
: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli

Medical Definition

alveolar

adjective
al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-ə-lər How to pronounce alveolar (audio)
1
: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli
2
: of, relating to, or constituting the part of the jaws where the teeth arise, the air-containing cells of the lungs, or glands with secretory cells about a central space

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