QUIZZES
THINK YOU’VE GOT A HANDLE ON THIS US STATE NICKNAME QUIZ?
Idioms for lip
Origin of lip
OTHER WORDS FROM lip
lip·less, adjectivelip·like, adjectiveout·lip, verb (used with object), out·lipped, out·lip·ping.un·der·lip, nounDefinition for lip (2 of 2)
WORDS THAT USE LIP-
What does lip- mean?
Lip- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “fat.” It is used in many scientific and medical terms.
Lip- comes from the Greek lípos, meaning “fat.” It is not related to lip, as in the part of the mouth; that word is actually connected to the combining form labio-. The combining form lip- is also not to be confused with a second sense of lipo- meaning “lacking” or “leaving.”
Lip- is a variant of lipo-, which loses its -o– when combined with words or word elements beginning with vowels.
Want to know more? Read our Words That Use lipo- article. You can also learn about the “lacking” sense of lipo- in this article.
Examples of lip-
A word you may have encountered that features the combining form lip- is lipid, “any of a group of organic compounds that are greasy to the touch, insoluble in water, and soluble in alcohol and ether.” In everyday language, it is often used as a synonym for “fat.”
The first part of the word, lip-, means “fat.” The second part of the word, -id, is a variant of -ide, which is used to indicate chemical compounds. Lipid literally translates to “fatty chemical.”
What are some words that use or are related to the combining form lip-?
What are some other forms that lip- may be commonly confused with?