labial

American  

[ley-bee-uhl] / ˈleɪ bi əl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or resembling a labium.

2. of or relating to the lips.

3. Phonetics. involving lip articulation, as p, v, m, w, or a rounded vowel.

4. Music. having the tones produced by the impact of a stream of air on a sharp liplike edge, as in a flute or the flue pipes of an organ.

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noun

Phonetics.

1. any labial consonant, especially a bilabial.

2. any labial sound.

labial British  

/ ˈleɪbɪəl /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or near lips or labia

2. music producing sounds by the action of an air stream over a narrow liplike fissure, as in a flue pipe of an organ

3. phonetics relating to a speech sound whose articulation involves movement or use of the lips

   a labial click

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noun

1. Also called: labial pipe.  music an organ pipe with a liplike fissure

2. phonetics a speech sound such as English p or m, whose articulation involves movement or use of the lips

Other Word Forms

• interlabial
  adjective
• labiality
  noun
• labially
  adverb
• postlabial
  adjective
• postlabially
  adverb
• prelabial
  adjective
• pseudolabial
  adjective
• sublabial
  adjective
• sublabially
  adverb

Etymology

Origin of labial

From the Medieval Latin word labiālis, dating back to 1585–95. See labium, -al ¹

Example Sentences

Labial: referring, pertaining or belonging to the labium.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.

Labial segment: the 7th segment of head = second maxillary segment.

From Explanation of Terms Used in Entomology by Smith, John. B.

Vibratory sounds    Labial R Lingual R Guttural R H is the sound produced in the larynx by the quick rushing of the air through the widely opened glottis.

From The Brain and the Voice in Speech and Song by Mott, F. W. (Frederick Walker)

Labial shields, 5, 1, 5, high band-like; the 4 and 5 the highest.

From Discoveries in Australia, Volume 1. With an Account of the Coasts and Rivers Explored and Surveyed During The Voyage of H.M.S. Beagle, in the Years 1837-38-39-40-41-42-43. By Command of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty. Also a Narrative Of Captain Owen Stanley's Visits to the Islands in the Arafura Sea. by Stokes, John Lort

In Adjectives beginning with a Labial or a Palatal, the aspirated form alone is used in the gen. and voc. sing. masc. the nom. dat. and voc. sing. feminine.

From Elements of Gaelic Grammar by Stewart, Alexander