alveolar
adj. C / Uadj. relating to the small air sacs in your lungs where oxygen enters your blood. It can also describe sounds made by touching the tongue to the roof of your mouth.
adj. relating to the alveoli, the tiny air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs. In phonetics, it describes sounds produced by the tongue touching the alveolar ridge.
The doctor checked the patient's alveolar function.
During the physical exam, the physician listened for any signs of fluid in the alveolar sacs of the lungs.
The patient's oxygen saturation levels dropped significantly, indicating that the alveolar membranes were not effectively transferring oxygen into the bloodstream despite the high concentration of inhaled air.
From alveolus + -ar.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Last updated May 28, 2026