harelip

American  

[hair-lip] / ˈhɛərˌlɪp /

noun

1. Usually Offensive. cleft lip.

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harelip British  

/ ˈhɛəˌlɪp /

noun

1. a congenital cleft or fissure in the midline of the upper lip, resembling the cleft upper lip of a hare, often occurring with cleft palate Preferred form cleft lip

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Sensitive Note

The term harelip is usually perceived as insulting because it compares the deformity in humans to the normal cleft lip of a hare. The accepted term for this medical condition is cleft lip.

Other Word Forms

• harelipped adjective

Etymology

Origin of harelip

First recorded in 1560–70; hare + lip

Example Sentences

Their romance is more awkward than whirlwind as he fears she will dislike him because of his severe harelip and recurring nightmares.

From Salon • Nov. 4, 2021

Jane Click’s son, Billy, had a friend, a shy child with a harelip.

From The New Yorker • Dec. 3, 2018

She can’t see his harelip and understands the way he speaks because she listens intently, so he lets her in, overcoming his shyness.

From The Guardian • Aug. 1, 2015

Turner spellbinds his listeners by recounting how he succeeded despite his harelip, his eighth-grade education and his early poverty.

From Time Magazine Archive

The signs had been there for me to see all along; they came flying back at me now: Baba hiring Dr. Kumar to fix Hassan’s harelip.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini