alveolar

adjective

al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-(ə-)lər 

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

Meet the fox tapeworm The new study is a retrospective one, in which a group of doctors in Switzerland examined medical records of 334 patients who developed the disease alveolar echinococcosis (AE) over a 50-year span (1973–2022). —ArsTechnica, 23 Apr. 2025

Implants require invasive surgery and good combination of implants and alveolar bone. —Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 Apr. 2025

But in fact these dental alveolar syndesmoses (technical speak for the tiny ligamentous joint between the tooth and jaw socket) move all the time. —Bethany Brookshire, Scientific American, 25 Jan. 2025

Getting a tooth pulled carries a risk of experiencing a dry socket, also known as alveolar osteitis. —Maxine Lipner, Verywell Health, 19 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1750, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing alveolar

• alveolar process
• alveolar ridge

Rhymes for alveolar

• bronchoalveolar

Kids Definition

alveolar

adjective

al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-ə-lər 

: of, relating to, resembling, or having alveoli

Medical Definition

alveolar

adjective

al·​ve·​o·​lar al-ˈvē-ə-lər 

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