retroflex

From Latin rētrōflexus, the perfect participle of rētrōflectō (“bend, turn”), from flectō (“bend, turn”).

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹəʊ.flɛks/, /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛt.ɹoʊ.flɛks/, /ˈɹɛt.ɹə.flɛks/

  • Audio (US):

    (file)

• (Indic) IPA^(key): /ɾɛʈɾoflɛks/

retroflex (comparative more retroflex, superlative most retroflex)

1. Bent or curved backwards.
2. (phonetics) 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.
   • 2015 December 4, “Discrimination of Multiple Coronal Stop Contrasts in Wubuy (Australia): A Natural Referent Consonant Account”, in PLOS ONE‎^[1], →DOI:

     In the case of the Wubuy alveolar versus retroflex contrast for instance, we argue that the phonetic overlap is so great that native listeners can behave as if this were an instance of a good and a 'less good' instance of a single category (CG).

3. (phonetics) Of pronunciation in which the tip of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
4. (phonetics) Of pronunciation in which the blade of the tongue approaches or touches the back of the alveolar ridge.
5. (phonetics, general sense) Of any of the aforementioned pronunciations.

• (bent backwards): reflexed
• (phonetics): cerebral
• (phonetics): cacuminal
• (of pronunciation with the tongue underside): subapical palatal
• (of pronunciation with the tongue tip): apical postalveolar
• (of pronunciation with the tongue blade): laminal postalveolar, flat postalveolar

• retroflex hook
• retroflexed
• retroflexion

retroflex (plural retroflexes)

1. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the underside of the tongue approaching or touching the palate.
2. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the tip of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
3. (phonetics) A consonant pronounced with the blade of the tongue approaching or touching the back of the alveolar ridge.
4. (phonetics, general sense) Any of the aforementioned consonants.

retroflex (third-person singular simple present retroflexes, present participle retroflexing, simple past and past participle retroflexed)

1. (transitive) To bend or curve backwards.
   • 2010, Stephen Nicholls, Stephen Worthley, Cardiovascular Imaging for Clinical Practice, page 123:

     […] retroflexing the endoscope tip and mechanically rotating the transducer.

• Retroflex consonant on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

• Audio (Germany (Berlin)):

  (file)

retroflex (strong nominative masculine singular retroflexer, not comparable)

1. (phonetics) retroflex

• Retroflex (“retroflex consonant”)

• “retroflex” in Duden online
• “retroflex” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

From English retroflex

• IPA^(key): /rɛtrʊˈflɛks/

retroflex (not comparable)

1. (phonology, phonetics) retroflex

retroflex c

1. (phonetics, phonology) retroflex consonant

• retroflex in Svensk ordbok (SO)