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Showing results for harelip. Search instead for harelips.

harelip

American  
[hair-lip] / ˈhɛərˌlɪp /

noun

  1. Usually Offensive. cleft lip.


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

"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

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

Etymology

Origin of harelip

First recorded in 1560–70; hare + lip

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

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

Lack of oxygen on the twelfth day gave them harelip, on the 14th day, cleft palate.

From Time Magazine Archive

The man who admitted him was one of Varys's prettier finds, a Braavosi daggerman with a harelip and a lazy eye.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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