nasal

1
[ ney-zuhl ]

adjective
  1. of or relating to the nose: the nasal cavity.

  2. Phonetics. pronounced with the voice issuing through the nose, either partly, as in French nasal vowels, or entirely (as in m, n, or the ng of song).

noun
  1. Phonetics. a nasal speech sound.

Origin of nasal

1
1375–1425; late Middle English (adj.) <Medieval Latin *nāsālis, equivalent to Latin nās(us) nose + -ālis-al1

Other words from nasal

  • na·sal·i·ty [ney-zal-i-tee], /neɪˈzæl ɪ ti/, na·sal·ism, noun
  • sem·i·na·sal·i·ty, noun

Other definitions for nasal (2 of 2)

nasal2
[ ney-zuhl ]

nounArmor.
  1. a bar or narrow plate used with an open helmet as a defense for the nose.

Origin of nasal

2
First recorded in 1470–80; late Middle English, from Medieval Latin nāsāle, noun use of neuter of nāsālis (unattested) nasal1; replacing Middle English nasel, from Middle French, from Medieval Latin, as above

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British Dictionary definitions for nasal

nasal

/ (ˈneɪzəl) /


adjective
  1. of or relating to the nose

  2. phonetics pronounced with the soft palate lowered allowing air to escape via the nasal cavity instead of or as well as through the mouth

noun
  1. a nasal speech sound, such as English m, n, or ng

  2. another word for nosepiece (def. 1)

Origin of nasal

1
C17: from French from Late Latin nāsālis, from Latin nāsus nose

Derived forms of nasal

  • nasality (neɪˈzælɪtɪ), noun
  • nasally, adverb

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for nasal

nasal

[ zəl ]


  1. Relating to or involving the nose.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.