retroflex
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retroflex
- /ˈɹɛt.ɹəʊ.flɛks/ UK
- /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/ UK
- /ˈɹɛt.ɹoʊ.flɛks/ US
- /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/ US
Where it comes from
From Latin rētrōflexus, the perfect participle of rētrōflectō (“bend, turn”), from flectō (“bend, turn”).
adjective more retroflex · most retroflex
-
Bent or curved backwards.
Similar: retroflexed, retroflexive, reflexed, reflected · Opposite: nonretroflex, unretroflexed
- 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. Near-synonyms: subapical, palatal
-
Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
Near-synonyms: apical, postalveolar
Similar: apical, postalveolar
-
Of pronunciation in which the blade of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
Near-synonyms: laminal, postalveolar
Similar: laminal, postalveolar
- Of any of the aforementioned pronunciations. Near-synonym: rhotic
noun retroflexes
- 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.
verb retroflexes · retroflexing · retroflexed
- To bend or curve backwards. […] retroflexing the endoscope tip and mechanically rotating the transducer.
Translations
Every language
adj bent backwards
| Português | retroflexo |
|---|---|
| العربية | مُرْتَدّ murtadd |
adj of pronunciation in which the tongue underside approaches/touches the palate
| Deutsch | subapiko-palatal |
|---|
adj of pronunciation in which the tongue tip approaches/touches the back of the alveolar ridge
| Deutsch | apiko-postalveolar |
|---|
adj of pronunciation in which the tongue blade approaches/touches the back of the alveolar ridge
| Deutsch | lamino-postalveolar |
|---|
adj of any of the retroflex pronunciations
| Português | retroflexo |
|---|---|
| Français | rétroflexe |
| Deutsch | retroflex |
| Ελληνικά | ανάστροφο anástrofo |
| Русский | ретрофле́ксный retrofléksnyj |
noun any of the retroflex consonants
| 日本語 | そり舌音 sorijitaon, 反り舌音 sorijitaon |
|---|---|
| 中文 | 卷舌音 juǎnshéyīn, 翹舌音 /翘舌音 qiàoshéyīn, 舌尖後音 /舌尖后音 shéjiānhòuyīn |
| Português | retroflexa |
| Deutsch | Retroflex |
| Русский | ретрофле́ксный согла́сный retrofléksnyj soglásnyj |
Talk about this word "retroflex." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/retroflex. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. retroflex. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/retroflex "retroflex." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/retroflex.Cite this
@misc{retroflex_2026,
title = {retroflex},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/retroflex},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
