labial

[ley-bee-uhl]

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.

noun

Phonetics.

1. any labial consonant, especially a bilabial.

2. any labial sound.

labial

/ 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

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

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of labial¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of labial¹

C16: from Medieval Latin labiālis, from Latin labium lip

Example Sentences

Following delivery of her second child, Brock spent an unusually long time suturing what he said was a small labial tear, she told police and the medical board.

From Los Angeles Times

Some are revealed to have long, squiggly tails — spermatozoa, perhaps, which resonate against the labial form that Rist designed for the lights.

From Los Angeles Times

She also supplied dozens of rather labial pink pillows.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s like a clamshell that encases you in its labial folds.

From Los Angeles Times

It was a gift from my mum, who had read the searing details about my labial surgery.

From The Guardian