labial

[ley-bee-uh l]

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.

Origin of labial

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

Related formsla·bi·al·i·ty, nounla·bi·al·ly, adverbin·ter·la·bi·al, adjectivepost·la·bi·al, adjectivepost·la·bi·al·ly, adverbpre·la·bi·al, adjectivepseu·do·la·bi·al, adjectivesub·la·bi·al, adjectivesub·la·bi·al·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for labial

Historical Examples of labial

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
Labial palpi rather bulky, short and with three joints, like the antenn.
The Glow-Worm and Other Beetles
Jean Henri Fabre
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
Labial palpi four or five-segmented; asymmetrical (membranous behind), apex acute.
Handbook of Medical Entomology
William Albert Riley

British Dictionary definitions for labial

labial

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 Formslabiality, 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

Word Origin and History for labial

adj.

"pertaining to the lips," 1590s, from Medieval Latin labialis "having to do with the lips," from Latin labium "lip" (see lip (n.)). The noun meaning "a labial sound" is from 1660s. Related: Labially.

labial in Medicine

labial

[lā′bē-əl]

adj.

Relating to the lips or labia.