labial

[ ley-bee-uhl ]

/ ˈleɪ bi əl /

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adjective

of, relating to, or resembling a labium.

of or relating to the lips.

Phonetics. involving lip articulation, as p, v, m, w, or a rounded vowel.

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.

any labial consonant, especially a bilabial.

any labial sound.

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Origin of labial

From the Medieval Latin word labiālis, dating back to 1585–95. See labium, -al¹

OTHER WORDS FROM labial

la·bi·al·i·ty, nounla·bi·al·ly, adverbin·ter·la·bi·al, adjectivepost·la·bi·al, adjective

post·la·bi·al·ly, adverbpre·la·bi·al, adjectivepseu·do·la·bi·al, adjectivesub·la·bi·al, adjectivesub·la·bi·al·ly, adverb

Words nearby labial

labellist, labellum, labetalol, labetalol hydrochloride, labia, labial, labial artery, labial hernia, labialism, labialize, labialized

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

How to use labial in a sentence

In Adjectives beginning with a Labial or a Palatal, the aspirated form alone is used in the gen. and voc.
Elements of Gaelic Grammar|Alexander Stewart
Final n is changed into m before a plain Labial; as, am baile the town, am fear the man.
Elements of Gaelic Grammar|Alexander Stewart
Labial palpi four or five-segmented; asymmetrical (membranous behind), apex acute.
Handbook of Medical Entomology|William Albert Riley
Labial tics of this nature may be styled tics of facial mimicry.
Tics and Their Treatment|Henry Meigne

Labial lobes large, oval, contiguous with one another, at the tip of the labrum.
Journal of Entomology and Zoology|Horace Gunthorp

British Dictionary definitions for labial

labial

/ (ˈleɪbɪəl) /

adjective

of, relating to, or near lips or labia

music producing sounds by the action of an air stream over a narrow liplike fissure, as in a flue pipe of an organ

phonetics relating to a speech sound whose articulation involves movement or use of the lipsa labial click

noun

Also called: labial pipe music an organ pipe with a liplike fissure

phonetics a speech sound such as English p or m, whose articulation involves movement or use of the lips

Derived forms of labial

labiality, nounlabially, adverb

Word Origin for labial

C16: from Medieval Latin labiālis, from Latin labium 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

Medical definitions for labial

labial

[ lā′bē-əl ]

adj.

Relating to the lips or labia.