4 syllables: De, glu, ti, tious. Stress on glu.
dee-GLOO-tish-uhs
/diːˈɡluːtɪʃəs/
Deglutitious is pronounced dee-GLOO-tish-uhs (/diːˈɡluːtɪʃəs/). It has four syllables (De-glu-ti-tious), with the stress on "glu". Deglutitious is an uncommon adjective describing something pertaining to deglutition (swallowing), often used in medical or anatomical contexts. It denotes relations to the act or process of swallowing, sometimes implying a technical or formal nuance. The term is specialized and not part of everyday speech, but it may appear in scholarly writing or clinical descriptions.
adjectiveDeglutitious is an uncommon adjective describing something pertaining to deglutition (swallowing), often used in medical or anatomical contexts. It denotes relations to the act or process of swallowing, sometimes implying a technical or formal nuance. The term is specialized and not part of everyday speech, but it may appear in scholarly writing or clinical descriptions.
"The researcher collected deglutitious motor data to analyze airway coordination during swallowing."
"Her notes referenced deglutitious reflex pathways in the brainstem."
"The anatomy tutor explained the deglutitious phase as distinct from chewing and respiration."
Pronounce as deh-GLOO-tih-shus with the primary stress on the second syllable: /ˌdɛɡˈluːtɪʃəs/. The first syllable sounds like 'deh' as in debt, the second 'glo͞o' rhymes with 'glue,' the third 'tish' like 'tish' in 'wish,' and the final 'us' is short. Mouth position: start with a light dental-alveolar 'd', follow with a rounded 'gloo' (tongue high, back raised), then a lax 'ti' and a soft 'shəs' ending. Audio reference would place the main energy on the 'lu' vowel.”
Common mistakes include misplacing the stress and mispronouncing the 'gloo' as a hard 'gl' cluster without adequate rounding, and blending 'ti' into a rapid 'sh' resulting in /dɛɡljuːtɪʃəs/ vs the correct /ˌdɛɡˈluːtɪʃəs/. Another frequent error is mispronouncing the second syllable vowel as a short 'e' instead of the long 'oo' as in 'glue'. Correct by practicing the long 'oo' /uː/ with rounded lips and ensuring the secondary stress lands on the second syllable’s vowel cluster.”
In US English, you’ll hear /ˌdɛɡˈluːtɪʃəs/ with rhotacized or non-rhotacized r depending on speaker, but the stress remains on the second syllable. UK English generally retains /ˌdɛɡˈluːtɪʃəs/ with non-rhoticity; the vowel in 'luː' is a clear long /uː/. Australian speakers align closely with UK patterns but may have a slightly flatter vowel quality and a more pronounced end consonant blend; the /ɪ/ is shorter, and /ʃəs/ remains. Overall, core stress and long /uː/ sound anchor the word across accents.”
The difficulty centers on the long /uː/ in the 'gloo' portion and the cluster /tl/ near the end, which can prompt syllabic reduction if rushed. The secondary stress on the 'luː' syllable demands precise timing to avoid swallowing the vowels into adjacent consonants. The ending /ʃəs/ requires a light-tailed, soft 's' before a 'uhs' schwa retention. Coordinating a clear /d/ onset with a sturdy but not harsh /ɡ/ is also challenging.”
A common unique question concerns whether the first syllable is pronounced with a hard d or a softer dental stop: it is a true /d/ onset, not a dental fricative. The practical tip is to begin with a crisp, clean alveolar /d/, then immediately transition to the rounded /gl/ sequence for the 'gloo' portion. Clear separation between the two consonant clusters helps prevent slurring into /ˌdɛɡˈluːtɪʃəs/.”
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Deglutitious comes from the Latin de- (down, away) + gluttire (to swallow) via the Latin root glutt-, related to gluttire’s swallowing sense, compounded with -itious to form a specialized adjective. The prefix de- indicates removal or reversal, while the root glutit- ties to swallowing. Historically, the term appears in late 19th- to early 20th-century medical literature when the burgeoning field of physiology and anatomy created precise descriptors for reflexes and actions of swallowing. It was used to distinguish aspects of deglutition from other oral-motor activities. Because swallowing is a fundamental, highly studied function, specialized vocabulary such as deglutitious emerged to describe processes, reflexes, and disorders within clinical contexts. First known uses appear in neurology and speech-language pathology texts where controlled studies discussed deglutition phases and deglutitious motor patterns in both health and disease.
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Words that rhyme with "Deglutitious"
-ous sounds
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