Uvula

//ˈjuː.vjʊl.ə// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Ellipsis of palatine uvula, the fleshy appendage that hangs from the back of the soft palate, that closes the nasopharynx during swallowing. abbreviation, alt-of, ellipsis
  2. 2
    a small pendant fleshy lobe at the back of the soft palate wordnet
  3. 3
    the slight elevation in the mucous membrane immediately behind the internal urethral orifice of the urinary bladder, caused by the middle lobe of the prostate
  4. 4
    an object so suspended inside a bell that it may hit the bell and cause it to ring; a clapper

Synonyms

All synonyms
drapeear lobehangerhanginglappetlobe

Example

More examples

"If you sleep on your back it's easier for your upper airway to be obstructed because your tongue, uvula, etc. slip towards the back of your throat."

Etymology

Borrowed from Late Latin ūvula, diminutive of ūva (“grape”).

Related phrases

mucous membraneurinary bladder

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.