guttural
UK[ˈɡʌtərəl]US[ˈɡʌtərəl]
adj
Of a speech sound: produced in the throat; characterized by a harsh, grating quality.
adj
(Of a voice or sound) having a harsh, throaty quality.
Morpheme Breakdown
guttur
al
guttur
throat
al
adjective suffix
Etymology
The word guttural originates from the Latin term guttur, which directly means "throat." The suffix -alis (English -al) was added to form the adjective gutturalis, signifying "pertaining to the throat." This anatomical reference was adopted into Middle French as guttural before entering English in the late 16th century. Its meaning evolved from a purely anatomical descriptor to specifically characterize sounds produced at the back of the mouth or throat, such as the velar and uvular consonants found in languages like German or Arabic. Thus, the term's logic follows a direct path from a physical body part to the quality of sounds generated there.
Analysis
Structure: guttur (throat) + al (adjective suffix)
guttur (Latin, meaning "throat"), al (Latin adjectival suffix, meaning "pertaining to").
Examples
The actor adopted a deep, guttural voice for the monster's role.
Some languages, like Hebrew, have distinctive guttural consonants.
A guttural cough echoed through the quiet hall.