English Explanatory Dictionary

retroflex

English dictionary entry

Meanings

adj
  1. Bent or curved backwards.
  2. Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue is raised and bent backwards, so that the underside of the tongue approaches or touches the palate.
  3. Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
  4. Of pronunciation in which the blade of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
  5. Of any of the aforementioned pronunciations.
noun
  1. A consonant pronounced with the underside of the tongue approaching or touching the palate.
  2. A consonant pronounced with the tip of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
  3. A consonant pronounced with the blade of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
  4. Any of the aforementioned consonants.
verb
  1. To bend or curve backwards.

Pronunciation

/ˈɹɛt.ɹəʊ.flɛks/ /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/ /ˈɹɛt.ɹoʊ.flɛks/ en-us-retroflex.ogg /ɾɛʈɾoflɛks/

Word forms

retroflex more retroflex most retroflex retroflexes retroflexing retroflexed

Etymology

From Latin rētrōflexus, the perfect participle of rētrōflectō (“bend, turn”), from flectō (“bend, turn”).

Synonyms

retroflexed retroflexive reflexed reflected subapical palatal apical postalveolar laminal cacuminal cerebral rhotic

Antonyms

nonretroflex unretroflexed

Related words

retroflexed retroflexion retroflexive retroflexively

Derived words

nonretroflex retroflex hook

Translations

Arabic: مُرْتَدّ Bulgarian: извит назад Finnish: taaksepäin taipunut Manx: cooyl-chroymmit Portuguese: retroflexo German: subapiko-palatal German: apiko-postalveolar German: lamino-postalveolar Norwegian Bokmål: sub-apikal prepalatal Norwegian Bokmål: sub-apikal palatal Norwegian Bokmål: apikal postalveolar Norwegian Bokmål: laminal postalveolar Polish: subapikalno-prepalatalny Polish: subapikalny prepalatalny Polish: subapikalno-palatalny Polish: subapikalny palatalny Polish: apikalny zadziąsłowy Polish: apikalny postalweolarny Polish: apikalno-postalweolarny Polish: laminalny zadziąsłowy Polish: laminalny postalweolarny Polish: lamino-postalweolarny Polish: spółgłoska subapikalno-prepalatalna Polish: spółgłoska subapikalna prepalatalna Polish: spółgłoska subapikalno-palatalna Polish: spółgłoska subapikalna palatalna Polish: spółgłoska apikalna zadziąsłowa Polish: spółgłoska apikalna postalweolarna Polish: spółgłoska apikalno-postalweolarna Polish: spółgłoska laminalna zadziąsłowa Polish: spółgłoska laminalna postalweolarna Polish: spółgłoska lamino-postalweolarna
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