alveolar

1. adj. Of or relating to the alveolus, or hard ridge of the gums, containing the sockets for the upper teeth and the area just behind the front teeth. The alveolus is involved in making the sounds involved in speaking the alveolar consonants, which, in English, include d, l, n, t, s, and z.
2. n. In biology in general, any small pocket in tissue and particularly the small pockets in the lung which form the areolae for oxygen absorption.