retroflex
adjective/ˈrɛtroʊflɛks/
Frequency rank: #19,920 of 20,003 in the WORDED list (wordfreq data)
Meaning
Pronounced with the tip of the tongue curled back toward the hard palate.
Example sentence
The linguist explained that retroflex consonants are produced by curling the tongue tip backward toward the roof of the mouth.
Synonyms & related words
More words in ranks 19,901–20,000
- misgivingA feeling of doubt, worry, or distrust about a future event or action.
- petrificationA state of being so frightened that one cannot move; also, the process of turning organic matter into stone.
- polysemyThe coexistence of multiple related meanings within a single word.
- sporangiumA case or capsule in which spores are produced and stored in fungi, algae, mosses, and ferns.
- chromosphereThe layer of the sun's atmosphere situated above the photosphere and below the corona, visible as a reddish glow during a solar eclipse.
- supernaturalismThe belief that events or phenomena exist beyond the natural world and cannot be explained by natural laws alone.
- abscissionThe natural process by which plants shed leaves, fruits, or other parts.
- astrometryThe branch of astronomy concerned with measuring the precise positions and motions of celestial objects.
- earpluga small piece of soft material inserted into the ear to block out noise or protect hearing.
- isotropyThe property of being identical in all directions; independence of physical properties from direction.