Nasal Meaning
/ˈneɪ.zəl/Definition, CEFR level C1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
adjOf or pertaining to the nose or to the nasion.
adjHaving a sound imparted by means of the nose; and specifically, made by lowering the soft palate, in some cases with closure of the oral passage, the voice thus issuing (wholly or partially) through the nose, as in the consonants m, n, ng.
Sentence Examples
I've had a nasal voice for two weeks.
He used to suffer from severe nasal congestion.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor used a light to examine the patient's ____ passages for any infection.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor explained that my blocked ____ passages were the primary cause of my snoring and suggested a simple spray to help me breathe more clearly.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English, from Medieval Latin nāsālis, from nāsus (“the nose”) + -ālis (“-al”, adjectival suffix). Doublet of nasalis.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Reindeer are well suited to the taiga’s frigid winters. They can maintain a thermogradient between body core and the environment of up to 100 degrees, in part because of insulation provided by their fur, and in part because of counter-current vascular heat exchange systems in their legs and nasal passages."
— 2013 March, Nancy Langston, “Mining the Boreal North”, in American Scientist, volume 101, number 2, page 98:
"Neffy uses the same spray device as Narcan, the naloxone nasal spray for opioid overdose, according to a spokesperson for its maker, ARS Pharmaceuticals."
— 2024 August 9, Meg Tirrell, “First nasal spray epinephrine drug for emergency allergic reactions gets FDA approval”, in CNN:
""Are you sure you're OK?" she said with a nasal Australian accent."
— 2016, A.K. Brown, Jumpstart (Champagne Universe Series: Book 1), page 2:
"The nasal continued in use until about 1140, when it was generally discarded, but isolated examples may be found in every succeeding century down to the seventeenth."
— 1909, Charles Henry Ashdown, European Arms & Armor, page 78:
"Rorge had donned a black halfhelm with a broad iron nasal that made it hard to see that he did not have a nose."
— 1999, George R.R. Martin, A Clash of Kings, Bantam Books, published 2011, page 463:
Explore More C1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The doctor used a light to examine the patient's ____ passages for any infection.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The doctor explained that my blocked ____ passages were the primary cause of my snoring and suggested a simple spray to help me breathe more clearly.