nasal

/ˈneɪzəl/

/ˈneɪzəl/

Other forms: nasals

Anything nasal relates to the nose, including a nasal voice that you can make by pinching your nose.

Just as optical things relate to the eyes, nasal things relate to the nose. Your nostrils lead to your nasal passages, and if your septum (the middle part of your nose) needed to be repaired, it would require nasal surgery. Also, this word is commonly used to describe a kind of exaggerated, wheezy tone of voice that you can imitate by pinching your nose. Some people's voices are naturally nasal, like the singer Bob Dylan.

Definitions of nasal

1. adjective

   of or in or relating to the nose
   “nasal passages”

   synonyms: rhinal
2. adjective

   sounding as if the nose were pinched
   “a whining nasal voice”

   synonyms: adenoidal, pinched

   high, high-pitched

   used of sounds and voices; high in pitch or frequency
3. noun

   a consonant produced through the nose with the mouth closed
   synonyms: nasal consonant

   type of:

   consonant

   a speech sound that is not a vowel
4. noun

   an elongated rectangular bone that forms the bridge of the nose
   synonyms: nasal bone, os nasale

   type of:

   bone, os

   rigid connective tissue that makes up the skeleton of vertebrates