nasal
/ˈneɪzl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈneɪzl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈnā-zəl/ (ame, mw)
nasal — adjective
- nasalpositive
- more nasalcomparative
- most nasalsuperlative
1. involving the nose, or describing a part inside or just above the nose; often us
involving the nose, or describing a part inside or just above the nose; often used in medical or anatomy contexts.
The doctor used a small nasal spray to clear Eve's blocked sinuses.
collocation: nasal spray
Naoko had surgery to fix a problem in her nasal passages.
collocation: nasal passages / nasal cavity
Cold weather at the village school often causes nasal congestion in the younger children.
Amihan rinsed her nasal cavity with warm salt water before bed each night.
- nose-related
informal everyday alternative; learners often use this paraphrase
文法句型
nasal + noun (body part / medical condition / spray)
用法筆記
Almost always attributive — placed directly before a noun (nasal spray, nasal passage, nasal bone). Rarely used after a linking verb.
常見錯誤
2. describing a voice or way of speaking that has a buzzing, slightly twangy qualit
describing a voice or way of speaking that has a buzzing, slightly twangy quality, as if some of the air comes out through the speaker's nose rather than the mouth.
Élise's voice sounded thin and nasal because of her bad cold.
predicative use after 'sound'
Anjali found her teacher's flat, nasal accent strange at first.
attributive: nasal accent
Renata's nasal tone made the high notes in the song sound unusual.
After throat surgery, Christopher spoke with a slightly nasal voice for several weeks.
文法句型
nasal voice
sound nasal
用法筆記
Often carries a mild negative tone in everyday descriptions of accents or singing — sounds whiny or twangy. Neutral when describing voice change after illness.
3. in the study of language, describing a speech sound made when air flows out thro
in the study of language, describing a speech sound made when air flows out through the nose instead of the mouth — for example, the sounds /m/, /n/, and /ŋ/ in English.
Noa's textbook listed three nasal consonants found in standard English.
collocation: nasal consonant
French has several nasal vowels that do not occur in standard English.
domain: linguistics; nasal vowels
Linguistics students learn to mark nasal sounds with a small tilde above the letter.
Renata practised the nasal sound in 'sing' until she could hear the difference clearly.
- oral
linguistics term for sounds where air flows only through the mouth
文法句型
nasal + consonant/sound/vowel
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (voice quality): sense 3 is a precise linguistic label for specific sounds, while sense 2 describes the overall sound of someone's voice.
nasal — noun
1. in the study of language, a speech sound such as /m/, /n/, or /ŋ/, made by letti
in the study of language, a speech sound such as /m/, /n/, or /ŋ/, made by letting air pass out through the nose while the mouth is closed.
Nala counted the nasals in the word 'morning' for her phonetics homework.
countable noun; plural use
Japanese has fewer nasals at the end of syllables than English does.
linguistics comparison; plural use
Professor Okafor explained how a nasal can change the vowel sound right before it.
Ziad noticed that the final nasal in 'song' sounds different from the one in 'son'.
- nasal consonant
more transparent equivalent; preferred in introductory teaching
文法句型
a/the nasal
nasals (plural)
用法筆記
Used almost only in linguistics or phonetics writing. In everyday speech, people say 'nasal sound' or 'nasal consonant' rather than just 'nasal'.
2. one of a pair of small flat bones at the top of the nose, which together form th
one of a pair of small flat bones at the top of the nose, which together form the hard upper part you can feel between your eyes.
The radiologist studied Abigail's nasals carefully after her accident on the football field.
medical context; plural use
A boxer's nasals are often broken several times during a long career.
common context: sports injury
Daniel could feel a small bump on his nasals after the bicycle crash.
Anatomy students learn to identify the paired nasals on a model skull.
- nasal bone
more transparent everyday equivalent
文法句型
the nasals (often plural)
用法筆記
Almost always plural ('the nasals') because the two bones come as a pair. Outside medical or anatomy contexts, English speakers say 'the bone in the nose' or 'the bridge of the nose'.