palatal

pal·a·tal

adj \ˈpa-lə-t^əl\

Definition of PALATAL

1

a : formed with some part of the tongue near or touching the hard palate posterior to the teethridge <the \sh\ and \y\ in English and the \ḵ\ of ich \iḵ\ in German are examples of palatal consonants> b of a vowel : front 2

2

: of, relating to, forming, or affecting the palate

— palatal noun

— pal·a·tal·ly \-t^əl-ē\ adverb

Examples of PALATAL

1. The first sound in the English word “jar” is a palatal sound.

First Known Use of PALATAL

1668