retroflex

Meanings

Adjective

• Bent or curved backwards.
• 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.
• Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
• Of pronunciation in which the blade of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
• Of any of the aforementioned pronunciations.

Noun

• A consonant pronounced with the underside of the tongue approaching or touching the palate.
• A consonant pronounced with the tip of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
• A consonant pronounced with the blade of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
• Any of the aforementioned consonants.

Related

Similar words

• reflexed
• subapical palatal
• apical postalveolar
• laminal postalveolar, flat postalveolar

Origin

• From Latin rētrōflexus, the perfect participle of rētrōflectō, from flectō.