Origin: Latin suffix -al
Nasal has 6 different meanings across 2 categories:
a consonant produced through the nose with the mouth closed
"The singer's voice was surprisingly nasal when she sang the high notes with her mouth tightly shut."
an elongated rectangular bone that forms the bridge of the nose
"The surgeon carefully examined the nasal bone to ensure it was properly aligned after the fracture."
a medicine that operates through the nose; an errhine
"The doctor prescribed a nasal spray to clear my blocked sinuses."
In plain English: A nasal is an ancient, extinct mammal that lived millions of years ago and had no teeth but used its nose to filter food from water.
"The doctor asked me to close my mouth so I could breathe through my nasal passages properly."
of or pertaining to the nose or to the nasion
"The surgeon performed a delicate operation on his nasal cavity to correct the obstruction near the nasion."
In plain English: Nasal means something related to your nose, such as having a sound that comes through it.
"He has a cold that gives him a very nasal voice when he speaks."
Usage: Avoid using "nasal" as a synonym for "noisy" when describing speech, as this is often confused with the related term "nasally." In medical contexts, ensure you distinguish between the adjective form referring to anatomy and the noun form specifically denoting decongestant sprays.
The word "nasal" comes from the Medieval Latin term nāsālis, which was formed by adding an adjective suffix to the root for "nose." It entered English through Middle French and Italian, where it originally described anything related to or resembling a nose before taking on its specific medical meaning.