labialize

American

[lay-bee-uh-lahyz] / ˈleɪ bi əˌlaɪz /

especially British, labialise

verb (used with object)

Phonetics.

labialized, labializing

to give a labial character to (a sound), for example, to round (a vowel).

labialize British

/ ˈleɪbɪəˌlaɪz /

verb

phonetics to pronounce with articulation involving rounded lips, such as for ( k ) before a close back vowel ( uː ) as in English cool

"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

Other Word Forms

Etymology

Origin of labialize

First recorded in 1865–70; labial + -ize

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:

labialized

In phonology there are also very striking differences, apart from the treatment of the labialized velar qv already mentioned.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

The k's and g's liable to labialization in Eu. languages appear to be occasionally labialized in Dakotan languages.

From The Dakotan Languages, and Their Relations to Other Languages by A. W. (Andrew Woods) Williamson

We may further mention that the I. E. labialized velar gv is represented by b, e.g.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 5, Slice 5 "Cat" to "Celt" by Various

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023