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definitions

bilabial

[ bahy-ley-bee-uh l ]
/ baɪˈleɪ bi əl /
Phonetics

adjective

produced with the lips close together or touching: the lips touch at one phase of the production of the bilabial consonants p, b, and m; they do not for the bilabial w.

noun

a bilabial speech sound.

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Nearby words

  1. bikkie,
  2. biko,
  3. biko, steve,
  4. bikol,
  5. bikram yoga,
  6. bilabiate,
  7. bilander,
  8. bilateral,
  9. bilateral hermaphroditism,
  10. bilateral symmetry

Origin of bilabial

First recorded in 1860–65; bi-1 + labial
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for bilabial

bilabial

/ (baɪˈleɪbɪəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or denoting a speech sound articulated using both lips( p ) is a bilabial stop, ( w ) a bilabial semivowel

noun

a bilabial speech sound
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for bilabial

bilabial

adj.

1857, from bi- + labial. Alternative bilabiate is attested from 1794.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper