Nasality

na·sal  (nzl)

adj.

1. Of, in, or relating to the nose.

2. Linguistics Articulated by lowering the soft palate so that air resonates in the nasal cavities and passes out the nose, as in the pronunciation of the consonants (m), (n), and (ng) or the nasalized vowel of French bon.

3. Characterized by or resembling a resonant sound produced through the nose: a nasal whine.

n.

1. Linguistics A nasal consonant.

2. A nasal part or bone, forming part of the bridge of the nose.

3. The nosepiece of a helmet.

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[Possibly from Middle English nasale, from Medieval Latin nslis, from Latin nsus, nose; see nas- in Indo-European roots.]

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na·sali·ty (n-zl-t) n.

nasal·ly adv.

Thesaurus

Noun

1.

nasality - a quality of the voice that is produced by nasal resonators timbre, tone, quality, timber - (music) the distinctive property of a complex sound (a voice or noise or musical sound); "the timbre of her soprano was rich and lovely"; "the muffled tones of the broken bell summoned them to meet" nasal twang, twang - exaggerated nasality in speech (as in some regional dialects)