harelip

[ hair-lip ]

/ ˈhɛərˌlɪp /

noun

Usually Offensive. cleft lip.

Words nearby harelip

hare's-foot, hare's-foot fern, harebell, harebrained, hareem, harelip, harem, harem pants, harestail, harewood, harewood house

Origin of harelip

First recorded in 1560–70; hare + lip

OTHER WORDS FROM harelip

hare·lipped, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH harelip

harebrained harelip

usage note for harelip

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.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for harelip

harelip

/ (ˈhɛəˌlɪp) /

noun

a congenital cleft or fissure in the midline of the upper lip, resembling the cleft upper lip of a hare, often occurring with cleft palatePreferred form cleft lip

Derived forms of harelip

harelipped, adjective

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

Medicine definitions for harelip

harelip

[ hâr′lĭp′ ]

n.

cleft lip