Hypertext Webster Gateway: "palatal"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Palatal \Pal"a*tal\, a. [Cf. F. palatal.]
1. Of or pertaining to the palate; palatine; as, the palatal
bones.
2. (Phonetics) Uttered by the aid of the palate; -- said of
certain sounds, as the sound of k in kirk.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Palatal \Pal"a*tal\, n. (Phon.)
A sound uttered, or a letter pronounced, by the aid of the
palate, as the letters k and y.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
palatal
adj 1: relating to or lying near the palate; "palatal index"; "the
palatine tonsils" [syn: {palatine}]
2: produced with the front of the tongue near or touching the
hard palate (as `y') or with the blade of the tongue near
the hard palate (as `ch' in `chin' or `j' in `gin') [syn:
{palatalized}, {palatalised}]
n : a semivowel produced with the tongue near the palate (like
the initial sound in the English word `yeast')
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