labiodental

American  

[ley-bee-oh-den-tl] / ˌleɪ bi oʊˈdɛn tl /

adjective

1. articulated with the lower lip touching the upper front teeth, as f or v, or, rarely, with the upper lip touching the lower front teeth.

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noun

1. a labiodental speech sound.

labiodental British  

/ ˌleɪbɪəʊˈdɛntəl /

adjective

1. pronounced by bringing the bottom lip into contact or near contact with the upper teeth, as for the fricative (f) in English fat, puff

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noun

1. a labiodental consonant

Etymology

Origin of labiodental

First recorded in 1660–70; labio- + dental

Example Sentences

Further analysis found that labiodental consonants could have spread rapidly in languages since the dawn of agriculture, to the point that they are found in half of the 7,000 or so languages still spoken.

From The Guardian • Mar. 14, 2019

Retaining an overbite did not lead directly to labiodental consonants but it allowed people to make the sounds more easily, Blasi said.

From The Guardian • Mar. 14, 2019

Dairy products and other soft foods, such as gruel, porridge, soup and stews, helped shape our faces, the researchers claim, and allowed us to form the sounds “f” and “v”, known as labiodental fricatives.

From The Guardian • Mar. 14, 2019

Computer models of the jaw showed that with a normal human overbite, it takes 29% less energy to form labiodental consonants than when the upper and lower teeth are aligned.

From The Guardian • Mar. 14, 2019

The w in Dutch is mostly labiodental; in the eastern parts before vowels bilabial pronunciation is heard.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 8, Slice 8 "Dubner" to "Dyeing" by Various