Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

uvula

/ˈju.vjəl.ə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.98 in modern English

Syllables
uvu-la
IPA
/ˈju.vjəl.ə/
8
Scrabble Score
5
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Ellipsis of palatine uvula, the fleshy appendage that hangs from the back of the soft palate, that closes the nasopharynx during swallowing.

noun

the slight elevation in the mucous membrane immediately behind the internal urethral orifice of the urinary bladder, caused by the middle lobe of the prostate

noun

an object so suspended inside a bell that it may hit the bell and cause it to ring; a clapper

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyHw-der. Proto-Italic *oiwā Latin ūva Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ula Late Latin ūvulabor. English uvula Borrowed from Late Latin ūvula, diminutive of ūva (“grape”).

Word Breakdown

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈju.vjəl.ə/
  • British English: /ˈjuː.vjʊl.ə/

Inflected Forms

uvulae (plural) uvulas (plural) uvulæ (archaic, plural)

Derived Forms

uvulatome uvulatomy uvulectomy

Phrases

uvulo- uvul-

Frequently Paired Words

uvular

Synonyms

staphyle

Homonyms

uvular (non-rhotic)

Questions

How do you pronounce uvula?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈju.vjəl.ə/.
What does uvula mean?
Ellipsis of palatine uvula, the fleshy appendage that hangs from the back of the soft palate, that closes the nasopharynx during swallowing.
Where does uvula come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₁eyHw-der. Proto-Italic *oiwā Latin ūva Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -ula Late Latin ūvulabor. English uvula Borrowed from Late Latin ūvula, diminutive of ūva (“grape”).

How to pronounce uvula

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “uvula”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈju.vjəl.ə/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “uvula”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “uvula” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.