What does alar mean?
Alar is a technical adjective meaning 'of or relating to a wing.' In zoology it describes structures associated with the wings of birds, insects, and bats — for example, alar feathers on a bird or alar veins in an insect's wing. In human anatomy the same word is applied to the alae nasi, the wing-like outer flares of the nostrils, so plastic surgeons speak of the alar cartilage or alar base when reshaping the nose. The word derives from the Latin ala, meaning 'wing' or 'armpit,' and belongs to a small family of learned terms including alate ('winged') and alary. Because it arises in specialist fields, alar seldom appears in casual conversation; readers are most likely to meet it in ornithology papers, entomology texts, or surgical literature. Its precision makes it valuable to experts, even though its reach beyond those domains remains narrow.
adjectiveRelating to or situated on a wing, especially in birds and insects; in human anatomy, pertaining to the alae (wing-like flares) of the nose.
- Of or relating to a wing or wings, as in birds, insects, or bats.
- In human anatomy, relating to the alae nasi — the flared, wing-like outer parts of the nostrils.
"The ornithologist noted damage to the bird's alar feathers along its left wing."
"The falcon's alar surface caught the wind perfectly as it banked into the dive."
"During rhinoplasty, the surgeon carefully reshaped the alar cartilage to refine the tip of the nose."
The same little word that describes a moth's wing also names the 'wings' of your nostrils — surgeons call them the alar cartilages.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of alar
Alar comes from the Latin ala, meaning 'wing' (and, by extension, the armpit), combined with the adjectival suffix -ar. It entered English through the learned vocabulary of natural history and anatomy, where Latin forms were routinely borrowed for descriptive precision. It shares this root with related terms such as alate ('having wings') and alary, all ultimately tracing back to the same Latin noun.
Related word forms
How alar is actually used
Alar is a technical term found mainly in zoology, ornithology, entomology, and medical contexts such as plastic surgery. It is rarely used in everyday conversation and would typically appear in scientific or clinical writing rather than general prose.
Easily confused with alar
An alarum is an archaic word for an alarm or call to arms, whereas alar is an anatomical adjective describing something relating to wings.